Climate change is a heavy, daunting subject. Often, the topic is explained scientifically, failing to grasp the emotions of many audiences.

These responses, or lack thereof, can result in the absence of motivation to act on the issue. However, Dr. Alexander Blake noticed that music can be a resource for sharing ideas and struggles to reach different audiences better.

He’s doing this with HomeCare by Tonality, a Grammy Award-winning choral concert about environmental issues, using words from young leaders who have preached about the immediate need for action to conserve energy. The show, part of Caltech’s “Opening Doors” series, is 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 16, at the Caltech Beckman Auditorium.

This concert includes the Woody Guthrie “This Land is Your Land” and closes with Michael Jackson’s “Earth Song.” It also includes music by Gaayatri Kaundinya, Luke Wallace. Christopher O’Brien, Francisco F. Feliciano, Joseph Trapanese and Carlos Fernando Lopez composing to a text of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

“Opening Doors” was created through Caltechlive to showcase dance, theater and music events to showcase artists whose work engages with the history of science and cutting-edge scientific research. Directed by Blake, Tonality’s performance will feature 24 singers, two ASL interpreters and five instrumentalists.

“We’ve been given this great opportunity to host HomeCare by Tonality, and other Opening Doors performances, to demonstrate how performing arts can help tell stories rooted in science,” said Michael Alexander, Caltech Campus Arts and Culture liaison.

“These performances help touch those in a way that an article simply wouldn’t be able to. We’re hoping that these events can aid in learning more about why hard science matters and encourage conversations about these topics.

Blake agreed that music can modulate and evoke emotions, making it a powerful tool for storytelling.

“Social justice issues are always an important topic, and when we interviewed our singers for this upcoming concert, we asked them what issues are important to them – and we found that many of them had the same answer, revolving around climate change,” Blake said.

“Tonality had its first HomeCare concert in 2015, singing about issues the world faces, and we’ve been performing HomeCare concerts ever since.”

Tonality presents HomeCare as part of its mission to convey authenticity in stories through body and voice to ignite change, dialogue and understanding. Well known for mastering choral concerts that set a focal point for issues rarely highlighted in choral music, Tonality received the 2020 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming.

Tonality has collaborated with choral composers and film composers to create the works presented in concert, striving for diverse voices and perspectives within the composer community.

Tonality has performed with MacArthur Fellow Taylor Mac, Pete Townsend of The Who, pianist Lara Downes, performer Björk and, most recently, Dutch DJ Tiësto and Kelly Clarkson in support of her album “Chemistry.” The latest project is the collaboration with Scott Hoying (Pentatonix) on his newest record titled “Rose Without the Thorns,” co-arranged with Blake.

Other collaborators include Joe Trapanese, Roman Gianarthur, Gaayatri Kaundinya, Reena Esmail, Shawn Kirchner, Zanaida Robles, Moira Smiley, Alex Wurman and composer Michael J. Giacchino.

“Asking our singers to share personal stories puts a lot of pressure and emotion on this ensemble,” Blake added. “We do this — and feel the need to do this — because it allows our audiences to feel what we’ve been through. Instead of reacting to statistics or the kind of fearmongering that happens in the news with emotional distance, bringing music to people allows them to sit with the weight of what is happening in our world.”