Sound Is Divine

A global alliance of musicians join forces for Sound Is Divine, a performance that resonates with the Buddhist philosophy of finding transcendence in sound by creating a meditative experience through music.

Curated by internationally acclaimed instrumentalist and composer Ravish Momin, the concert features traditional instruments in a series of surprising duets—the Indian tabla and African kora, ritual chants and a haunting cello, and Galician gaita and clarinet—performed by artists including Orakel, Muyassar Kurdi, Evan Ziporyn, and Christine Southworth.

The evening also features a free DJ set by DJ Ripley (Dutty Artz) and live electronic percussion with Ravish Momin (Tarana) in the K2 Lounge, open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

About the Musicians

 

Muyassar Kurdi is a Brooklyn-based interdisciplinary artist whose work encompasses sound, extended vocal technique, performance art, movement, photography, and film. She currently focuses on interweaving homemade electronic instruments and sculpture into her vocal and dance performances, stirring emotions from the audience through ritualistic chants and meditative movements. Kurdi studied voice and dance with the legendary performer Meredith Monk via The House Foundation, and she has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Orakel is an electro-acoustic project of kora/oud player Kane Mathis, with tabla player and poet Roshni Samlal, who began their collaboration at Brooklyn Raga Massive. They create a modern context for traditional Indian percussion and kora repertoire by incorporating electronic sound design, field recordings, drones, and poetry in their compositions.

All of their compositions are based on shifting “taals” or rhythmic cycles found in Indian classical music that mathematically resolve into other cyclical material. The kora adds its own idiomatic rhythmic statements called “kumbengo.” Breaks and arrangements draw alternately from both traditions.

Southworth-Ziporyn Duo

 

Evan Ziporyn is a clarinetist and composer who takes inspiration from around the globe. He currently performs with Silk Road Ensemble, Steve Reich Ensemble, and Gamelan Galak Tika. Ziporyn’s performance at the Rubin features sampled tracks and sounds from Bali and Africa, as well as the composition “Bowl Drones,” a conversation between himself, on clarinet, and Tibetan singing bowls, accompanied by Christine Southworth’s video based on Morris Louis’s 1959 painting “Dalet Kaf.”

Christine Southworth presents compositions that reflect her obsession with multiculturalism. Her performance with Evan Ziporyn uses sounds and images from around the world interspersed with sounds they have created. These include global electronic samples, audio recordings from space (courtesy of NASA), projected video from earth and the heavens, and their own playing on bagpipe, Galician gaita, and bass clarinet.