Music at MoMA: Summer Sounds at MoMA

Set against the iconic backdrop of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, this summer concert series celebrates the sonic fabric of New York City and beyond. Blending popular and experimental genres, this diverse program brings together DJs and live musical performance—including new works inspired by the Sculpture Garden—making MoMA a destination for visual and performing arts alike. Music at MoMA is included with general Museum admission. No additional ticketing is required, and members get in free. Please note: Sculpture Garden capacity is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. Our checkroom closes one hour before this program ends, and re-entry to the garden is not guaranteed. In case of inclement weather, Music at MoMA will take place inside the Museum. Organized by Martha Joseph, Associate Curator, Department of Media and Performance, and Eliza Ryan, Guest Curator. Produced by Dore Murphy, Director of Marketing and Audience Strategy; Gabriela Pupin, Associate Director, Marketing; and Valentina Mangiameli, Senior Manager, Membership Operations

July 20

Moor Mother and DJ Haram

Set times

4:00–6:00 p.m. DJ Haram

6:00–6:50 Moor Mother

6:50–7:45 DJ Haram For this unique presentation in the Sculpture Garden, Camae Ayewa, who performs under the name Moor Mother, will premiere a site-specific set, Return to the Garden, inspired by MoMA’s unique green space and its legacy as a home for jazz concerts during the second half of the 20th century. Moor Mother will be joined by their frequent collaborators, the free-jazz quintet Irreversible Entanglements and DJ Haram.

July 27

Nourished by Time and Lovie

Set times

4:00–6:00 p.m. Lovie

6:00–6:50 Nourished by Time

6:50–7:45 Lovie

Marcus Brown, who records and performs as Nourished by Time, is a multi-skilled songwriter whose sound evokes the familiar while feeling refreshingly unpredictable. An astute producer, Brown uses his melodic vocals as a tool, oscillating between rapping and crooning at a pace of his own. In dialogue with Nourished by Time’s meditative and innovative sound, Lovie—known for creating harmonious experiences through sound within various gathering spaces—will sculpt an expressive sonic energy in the Sculpture Garden.

August 3

Eartheater and Ren G

Set times 4 - 6pm Ren G

6 - 6:50pm Eartheater

6:50 - 7:45pm Ren G

For her presentation at MoMA, Eartheater has created a special intimate performance for the Sculpture Garden encompassing material from her recent album Powders and reprising acoustic material from her previously released Phoenix: Flames Are Due Upon My Skin. She will be joined by multi-instrumentalist Pablo and longtime collaborators LEYA (harpist Marilu Donovan and vocalist/violinist Adam Markiewicz), with whom she has previously released the EP Angel Lust. Ren G will shape the sounds of the Garden with a multi-genre DJ set before and after Eartheater’s live performance.

August 10

Kelly Lee Owens and 8ULENTINA

Set times

4:00-5:30pm 8ULENTINA

5:30-7:45pm Kelly Lee Owens

Polymathic producer Kelly Lee Owens returns to New York for her first performance (DJ set) since 2021. Owens is a skilled songwriter who is praised for harnessing a mediative pull within a frenetic emotional beat. 8ULENTINA, whose work traverses diverse geographies and tempos to present non-linear narratives in sonic form, will begin the afternoon with his signature style.

August 17

Jlin and Suzi Analogue (DJ set)

Set times

4:00–6:00 p.m. Suzi Analogue (DJ set)

6:00–7:00 Jlin

7:00–7:30 Suzi Analogue (DJ set)

Composers and electronic musicians Jlin (aka Jerrilynn Patton) and Suzi Analogue bring experimental beat-making approaches to MoMA in a doubleheader. Suzi Analogue’s set will weave a tapestry of sonic liberation, seamlessly fusing tracks from her latest record, ONEZ, with soul, footwork, techno, hip-hop, and an array of global selections from across her Afrodiasporic culture. Jlin will perform music from her new album Akoma, which features guest appearances from Björk, Philip Glass, and Kronos Quartet, among others. While this work offers a new approach for fans who have diligently followed her career, her continued exploration of rhythm solidifies her distinctive approach within electronic music and the world of new music composition. Her signature high-speed, percussion-driven, polyrhythmic sensibility is inspired equally by Chicago footwork (hyper-speed dance music birthed from Chicago house music) and Igor Stravinsky.

August 24

Carl Craig

Craig will play a continuous DJ set from 4:00 to 7:45 p.m.

Legendary artist, producer, and DJ Carl Craig brings his prophetic electronic music to MoMA’s Sculpture Garden. A pioneer of the second generation of Detroit techno during the 1980s and ’90s, Craig adeptly fuses pared-down electronic minimalism with more lush textures and funky rhythms, a combination that encapsulates techno’s founding philosophy from the Motor City. This four-hour set continues Craig’s longstanding embrace of durational performance, merging postindustrial sonic explorations with the atmosphere of the garden.

August 31

Mabe Fratti, Arushi Jain, and DJ’J

Set times

Mabe Fratti (LIVE) 6:30-7:30

Arushi Jain DJ + LIVE set 5:30-6:30

DJ'J set 4:30-5:30

Inspired by the current exhibition, Figures and Forms, in the Sculpture Garden, Mabe Fratti’s musical presentation imagines a fictional space where songs reveal a conversation across time and place. Just like the sculptures, which are different stylistically and from different generations, Fratti and her musical collaborators I. la Católica (guitar) and Chris Corsano (drums and other objects), will experiment with genre and form. Arushi Jain will play a live electronics set expanding on compositions she detailed for recorded albums. With a focus on improvisation and expansive synthesis, Jain will channel essences held in marble, water, greenery, and sculpture to enhance the roofless gallery. DJ’J will open the sonic space of the garden inviting guests to explore dynamic sounds throughout the afternoon