WORLD PREMIERE OF INSECTUM

A SONIC EXPLORATION OF THE WORLD OF ARTHROPODS

INSECTUM is a sonic exploration of the resilience and beauty of the world’s oldest living multicellular creatures: arthropods. Originally inspired by the pioneering imagery of artist-entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, and furthered by consultation with entomologists Alex Wild and Jo-anne Holley at the University of Texas at Austin, the event aims to not only bring audiences “down” to these creatures' level but also to reframe our relationship with them. As global climate change accelerates and insect populations suffer from a rapid collapse, INSECTUM challenges listeners to move beyond simply writing these organisms off as mere “bugs.”

The event will feature world premieres by composers/performers Susie Ibarra, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Graham Reynolds. Part performance, part educational experience, INSECTUM combines science and music to weave together an unforgettable evening that finds beauty in all things small.

General admission. The performance starts at 7:00 PM. Join us for the optional pre-performance talk from 6:00 PM - 6:30 PM. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

INSECTUM commissioned by Golden Hornet

Co-Commissioned by Kathleen and Harvey Guion & The Guion Family Fund

Co-Commissioned by Suzanne Deal Booth & The Suzanne Deal Booth Cultural Trust

This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts

Created in consultation with Alex Wild and Jo-anne Holley at the University of Texas at Austin.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Susie Ibarra

Susie Ibarra is a Pilipina- American Composer, Percussionist and Sound Artist whose artistic practice combines being on field, in performance, in studio and supporting conservation of traditional heritages and environments. She has recorded over 40 albums as a composer and drummer and performed in events such as the London Olympics, Rio Olympics, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Carnegie Hall, MASSMoCA, Anthony Davies Hall, Sharjah Art Biennial UAE, Zamane Music Festival Morocco, and many more.

Jeffrey Zeigler

Jeffrey Zeigler has released dozens of albums on Nonesuch Records, Deutsche Grammophon, Cantaloupe and Smithsonian Folkways and has appeared with Norah Jones on her album Not Too Late on Blue Note Records. While serving as the cellist of the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet for eight seasons, Zeigler was the recipient of the Avery Fisher Prize, the Polar Music Prize, the President’s Merit Award from the Grammys and The Asia Society's Cultural Achievement Award. Jeffrey Zeigler was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Chamber Music and Innovation at the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami.

Graham Reynolds

Called “the quintessential modern composer” by the ​London Independent​, Austin-based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds records and performs music for film, theater, dance, rock clubs, and concert halls. He recently scored Richard Linklater’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette (Annapurna Pictures) with Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, and Laurence Fishburne, Happy Jail (Netflix), Stop Hitting Yourself (Lincoln Center Theater), Out of Her Mind (BBC), Grimm Tales (Ballet Austin), and a multi-year commission from Ballroom Marfa, The Marfa Triptych, culminating in his Creative Capital Award winning project Pancho Villa from a Safe Distance. Amidst his many other projects, Graham also serves as the Artistic Director of the new music focused non-profit Golden Hornet. In 2020, Graham signed with London-based record label Fire Records and released his original score for Alfred Hitchcock’s silent classic, The Lodger, with a forthcoming album of original material in 2024.