SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia At Nasher at Sculpture Center

The Nasher Sculpture Center announces 'SCULPTING SOUND: Twelve Musicians Encounter Bertoia', a series of six historic concerts, from February 22-27, 2022, bringing together twelve master musicians to explore the expressive range of Harry Bertoia's sounding sculptures, in complement to the exhibition Harry Bertoia: Sculpting Mid-Century Modern Life on view at the Nasher January 29 - April 23, 2022.

"'SCULPTING SOUND' is one of the most exciting and generous extensions to an exhibition that we have ever offered the public," says Director Jeremy Strick. "Alongside their own instruments, this extraordinary group of musicians will bring Bertoia's sounding sculptures into their full aural potential within the museum, unifying the disciplines of sculpture and music, as Bertoia intended. The results of this exceptional occasion will certainly astound, marking a historic moment within both fields."

Harry Bertoia created hundreds of sounding sculptures-comprised of metal rods in various metals anchored to bases, as well as gongs and "singing bars"-that could be touched, struck, and strummed to create a range of tonal sounds. Bertoia recorded eleven albums using this work, and although nearly unknown to the public at large, these records proved deeply influential in the world of leading-edge music and sound design and garnered a growing list of admirers among some of the most celebrated musicians in the world.

Extending and enriching this musical legacy, 'SCULPTING SOUND,' conceived and curated by poet and record producer David Breskin, will pair twelve critically acclaimed, award-winning musicians over six nights, each night dedicated to a particular instrument that will be played with the Bertoia sounding sculptures.

Exploring new realms of the Sonambient, the term that Bertoia coined to express the physical sensation of being immersed in the vibrations of the sounding sculptures, the concert series will include electric guitarists Nels Cline & Ben Monder, trumpeters Ambrose Akinmusire & Nate Wooley, saxophonists Ingrid Laubrock & JD Allen, Brandon Seabrook & Jen Shyu on acoustic strings, drummers Marcus Gilmore & Dan Weiss, and pianists Kris Davis & Craig Taborn.

'SCULPTING SOUND' Concert Schedule
7 p.m. each night at the Nasher Sculpture Center

February 22: Electric Guitar Night: Nels Cline & Ben Monder
February 23: Trumpet Night: Ambrose Akinmusire & Nate Wooley
February 24: Saxophone Night: Ingrid Laubrock & JD Allen
February 25: Acoustic Strings Night: Jen Shyu & Brandon Seabrook
February 26: Drums / Percussion Night: Marcus Gilmore & Dan Weiss
February 27: Piano Night: Kris Davis & Craig Taborn

Individual tickets are $30 and ticket packages for all six nights are available for purchase here. Concerts will be recorded live.

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