Escape the heat with these sound art and music events.
The Whisperers: Parham Daghighi 3 p.m. July 16
Parham Daghighi performing in Tarek Atoui’s installation “The Whisperers” at the Contemporary Austin – Jones Center. Artwork © Tarek Atoui. Photograph by Leon Alesi.Jones Center, Contemporary Austin, 700 Congress Ave.
Tickets: Free with museum admission ($10); reservations recommended. thecontemporaryaustin.org
Iranian-American multi-instrumentalist Parham Daghighi, a current musician-in-residence at the Contemporary Austin, performs his musical response to Tarek Atoui’s installation of innovative sound-making materials on view at the museum. Atoui is this year’s recipient of the 2022 Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize. Daghighi performs with guest collaborator Megan Easley.
The Book of Longing: Song Cycle Based on the Poetry and Artwork of Leonard Cohen
From Leonard Cohen’s “The Book of Longing.”7:30 p.m. July 22 at Bates Recital Hall, UT campus. Tickets: $25-$35
On-demand online viewing begins 12 noon July 25 through July 31. Tickets: $0-$40
austinchambermusic.org
Leonard Cohen’s “The Book of Longing” contains 167 poems and drawings, mostly written at a Zen monastery where Cohen lived from 1994 to 1999. After Cohen shared an unpublished manuscript with Philip Glass, who found work “intensely beautiful, personal, and inspiring,” the composer said. “On the spot, I proposed an evening-length work of poetry, music and image based on this work. Leonard liked my idea.”
The 90-minute piece combines instrumentalists, vocalists singing Cohen’s poems to Glass’ music and spoken readings. Projections Cohen’s art pieces accompany the show.
New Media Art & Sound Summit (NMASS)
April Joy Gerloff performs at the 2018 NMASS. Photo by Alicia Mallory.
July 22-24, Crashbox, 5305 Bolm Road, Studio 12; 1 p.m. concert July 23 at Contemporary Austin-Jones Center, 700 Congress Ave. Tickets: $10-$30, nmassfest.org
Always a most indie and innovative happening of new music and sound art, this year NMASS kicks off with a performance featuring members the UT San Antonio Marching Band playing Fluxus-style works by Pauline Oliveros and Yoko Ono. Later in the festival, a number of musicians play short sets within Tarek Atoui’s installation of sound-making materials, “The Whisperers,” at the Contemporary Austin-Jones Center.
