Musician Releases New Album Inspired by U-M Biological Station

A collaboration with nearly 40 people at the vast, forested campus nestled along Douglas Lake, the 10 tracks on "UMBS" encompass the relationship between humans and the natural world, feelings of disconnection, as well as efforts to protect Great Lakes piping plovers and bogs, among many other topics.

“My initial idea for this residency was to produce a solo album focused on blending natural sounds with my acoustic guitar,” Lyra said.

“Everything changed once I got there.”

In addition to the water and wildlife, Lyra found meaningful connections with UMBS students, researchers, staff and their families.

“The place is full of people doing interesting and important things,” Lyra said.

“I tried my best to live and learn the place to the maximum I could and left as a different person.”

Listen to “UMBS” on Apple Music, Spotify or iTunes.

You also can stream the songs on YouTube.

The song “Heaven” features the vocals of UMBS alumna Isabel Gil, who returned to UMBS to serve as a teaching assistant (TA) in the 2025 summer term for an English class. She wrote the song in 2023 at UMBS while taking courses as a U-M student.

“This summer Ricardo recorded it and produced it, adding unique soul and substance, turning into something better than I could have ever imagined,” said Gil, who started graduate school in the fall as a master's student in NYU's Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program.

“We’re all grateful to Ricardo for this gift of northern Michigan that can reach us wherever we may be.”

The track titled “Melodus” is about Great Lakes Piping Plovers and the “herculean efforts” put into the endangered shorebird’s conservation — highlighting the team effort bringing the birds back from the brink of extinction.

Lyra clipped people, plover and equipment sounds and used them as short samples to capture the world of the plovers and the people at UMBS who care for them and track their travels.

It includes the voice of Dr. Francie Cuthbert, the waterbird researcher who started the intensive plover recovery, captive rearing and re-release program more than 30 years ago at the field research station in Pellston.

“Ricardo produced the world’s first song in honor of piping plovers. His creativity is magical,” Cuthbert said.

The song “Bog People” features Dr. Lauren Gwin, a UMBS faculty instructor, and her 9-year-old son, August, who enjoys going on field excursions with his mom’s class.

“Ricardo invited us into his cozy cabin and asked us both questions about bogs, which were fresh on our minds after visiting Mud Lake Bog,” Gwin said. “I found myself a bit tongue-tied, since I experience bogs as so ethereal and mysterious, but August had no problem coming up with the perfect words.”

August called the bogs "creepy," yet stepping off the boardwalk was "soothing, like a massage.”

“Ricardo used our words and small chorus — ‘Bog people, Bog people, creeping up your slacks!’ — to craft a track that is humorous, playful, and a bit spooky, just like a bog,” Gwin said.

“I hope that this album may spark curiosity in some listeners about the sounds around them,” Lyra said. “Through that process, I hope that they find their own paths of learning through curiosity and wonder, increasing their respect and love for the world we inhabit.”

In honor of the release of the album, we’re proud to highlight Lyra’s reflections in his own words about his experience as the 2025 UMBS Artist in Residence.

Q: What was your inspiration for “UMBS”?

This album was inspired by the soundscape and people living at UMBS during June and July 2025. When producing it, I tried my best to represent not only the sounds that are present in northern Michigan, but also to address themes related to the conversations I had with those living and working there. Some recurrent themes were the overlaps between art and science; the relationship that we humans have with the world that surrounds us, including the feeling of disconnection and distance that many of us feel towards the natural world; the great efforts towards understanding and protecting piping plovers, bogs, and natural areas as a whole; among many other topics. To describe everything would need a really long text, as the place is full of people doing interesting and important things. To sum it up, the biggest inspiration was the experience of living at UMBS and getting to know the area, taking time to slow down, listen, and absorb what it was telling me.

Q: You held many workshops with the UMBS community and went out in the field with researchers and classes in your two months at the field research station. Talk about your collaborators on the album.

My initial idea for this residency was to produce a solo album focused on blending natural sounds with my acoustic guitar. Everything changed once I got there and attended the spring term talent show, which happened during my first week. I realized then that there were a lot of people skilled in different forms of art, including music. At that moment, I knew I had a great opportunity to collaborate with the community, and that together we could create something more meaningful than what I was initially aiming for. This feeling got stronger after the first day of the music production workshops I was conducting on Sundays, when we started recording the first track for the album (An Ode to the Lake). It was a smooth and fun process.

Later, when summer term people came in, the process repeated itself. Then came the poets, who kindly allowed me to record their words and use them to create new tracks. As for the album cover, as soon as the painter showed me the image, I felt a deep connection to it. I still keep going back to look at it, as it makes me feel as if I’m still at the station. I was very happy when she kindly allowed me to use it as the cover. In the end, the album counted with almost 40 collaborators. The last track is a “credits” song, where I mention and thank everyone who directly contributed to the creation of the album. Among students, staff, and local residents, I found a lot of collaborators, and many of them quickly became friends which I’m still in touch with (and intend to keep it that way).

Q: Did anything surprise you about the U-M Biological Station? And what were your favorite moments?

I think the first moment that got stuck in my mind was getting out of the car and looking at Douglas Lake for the first time. Then, after I dropped my luggage, I just went out to the back of my cabin and stayed there for a few minutes. I knew at that moment that I was in for something special. With that in mind, it is hard for me to pick my favorite moments during these two months because everything felt special for multiple reasons. In fact, there were so many moments that I feel like making a list would be a difficult and unfair task. Instead, I’ll list some of the things that made me fall in love with the place.

The landscape is beautiful. There is so much water and wildlife, and the weather changes pretty fast. There was this one sunny morning that turned into a hailstorm out of nowhere, which was scary and awesome at the same time. Also, there is so much stuff happening. I could hop into a field trip to a bog in the morning, join a class in the afternoon, and have fun playing trivia at night. Then the other day would be filled with completely different activities. While all of that is happening, you walk the streets and see others doing their own thing, while kids run around adding their laughter to the soundscape. All of that made the place feel alive and every day feel dynamic, unpredictable, and exciting.

I met a lot of people who were so welcoming and warm that I felt at home really fast. I always get anxious about meeting new people as I am a little bit shy, but it felt natural and easy there. Everyone had something to share and at the same time made themselves available to listen. I made good friends and learned a lot about their work and perspectives on life.

I’ve sat on the pontoon boats and at the tables behind the cabins with friends during multiple sunsets; played truco and had jam sessions while looking at the lake; stargazed near the greenhouse during meteor showers; sat at the tables of the dining hall while savoring the food and the company of others; learned about the history of the area, and even got to go to a Pow Wow at the Odawa Circle. I tried my best to live and learn the place to the maximum I could and left as a different person.