Composer Gustav Mahler wrote Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) near the end of his life and in fact never heard it performed. Inspired by Chinese poetry of the seventh and eighth century and written for vocalists with orchestra, the work delves into themes of life and eternity and is considered iconic in the Western classical music canon. This evening—in collaboration with the Illinois Emerging Digital Research and Education in Arts Media (eDream) Institute and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology—musical moments will be woven together with big science presentations by distinguished faculty, followed by a unique rendering of Mahler’s masterpiece enhanced by imagery and movement conceived by Tai Ji master Chungliang Al Huang. Performers will include baritone Nathan Gunn and pianist Julie Gunn.