The Song of the Ice is a science-first performance about the wonders of Antarctica. It is both an educational and engaging slideshow of photos, paintings, graphs and maps, accompanied by Steve Garrett’s commentary and guitar pieces. 

Steve Garrett is a scientist and musician who connects his passions for Antarctica and guitar in one compelling performance. He illustrates climate change through his personal experiences of visiting the South Pole in the 1980s and in recent years. 

Through the lens of a traveller who wants to discover new lands, Garrett teaches about Earth’s history, ice properties and climate change. He successfully makes the science approachable. In fact, if science classes in school were like this, there would be many more scientists in this day and age. 

Garrett adds weight to the performance by sharing the conclusions of his fellow scientists and the stories of his scientific role models. Listening to their exciting tales makes you want to google your way through the science-buff webpages you didn’t know existed.

Apart from demystifying the science, the slideshow is visually striking. It showcases the polar beauty in the photos Garrett took in Antarctica and the landscapes he painted. His work gives a sneak peek into the experiences you’ll never have unless you are, of course, a young, curious scientist who did fieldwork in Antarctica in the 1980s.

Steve Garrett uses music as an instrument to convey the breathless feeling the scientists experience when they are on the edge of discovering something new.

His guitar pieces are inspired by the continent’s history and different adventures people have faced in Antarctica: walking ahead through the snow and persevering, listening to the ice and appreciating untouched nature. His most impressive and thought-provoking creation is the translation of the CO2 emissions graph into a music chart. It really makes you evaluate the exponentially growing, terrifying impact humanity has been having on the planet.

Within its format, the show reaches all its objectives: it educates, it entertains and it sparks your curiosity. The Song of the Ice is a stellar demonstration of connecting music and science that offers a meaningful opportunity to slow down within the busy Fringe schedule.

The Song of the Ice is Church at artSpace@StMarks until Fri 28 Aug 2026