Photo courtesy of Brandon Ross and Stomu Takeishi and the Noguchi Museum
June 26, 2023 By Ethan Marshall
The Noguchi Museum has partnered with the musical organization Bang on a Can to hold a series of concerts throughout the summer. At 4 p.m. on select Sundays throughout the summer, the Noguchi Museum’s galleries and garden will be hosting concerts from various performers.
These performances are each an eclectic mix of artists playing music that defies genres and engages with the imagination, memory and subconscious realms. Much of the concert series will coincide with the Noguchi Museum’s current exhibit, Noguchi Subscapes. This exhibit, which runs until Sept. 3, is a survey of Isamu Noguchi’s particular interest in the unseen and hidden, with a common eye toward fusing modern influences with the traditional.
Those who purchase tickets for any of the performances will also include full access to the Noguchi Museum. Tickets can be purchased at noguchi.org/
Photo by Zosha Warpeha
A total of four shows were planned for this concert series. The first show took place Sunday, with the band Tombstar performing. This ensemble featured Eddy Kwon on the violin, Isabel Crespo Pardo doing vocals voice, Zekkereya El-Magharbel on the trombone and Lesley Mok on drums. The quartet of interdisciplinary artists explore the collective subconscious through improvisation, composition and joyful experimentation.
Photo by Melanie Minichino
The next show, featuring drummer and composer Tomas Fujiwara’s “Dream Up,” is scheduled to take place July 9. Fujiwara, alongside vibraphonist Patricia Brennan, taiko drummer Kaoru Watanabe and percussionist Tim Keiper, combine their talents as a percussion quartet. Fujiwara draws upon his experience performing in “Stomp” and as a member of multi-percussion ensembles such as Triple Double, 7 Poets Trio and Shizuko for musical inspiration in this quartet. He also takes inspiration from Mike Reed’s Living By Lanterns, and the Broadway show “Fela.” The quartet’s performance celebrates storytelling, history, memory and culture through the transformative power of rhythm.
Photo courtesy of the Noguchi Museum
On Aug. 27, cellist Issei Herr and drummer/producer Matt Evans will each put on solo performances. Using her background as a classically trained cellist, Herr explores openness, vulnerability and a sense of wonder in her intricately looped and layered compositions. Evans will be taking cues from millennial esoterica, natural phenomena and science fiction in his hypnotic soundscape as he presents a solo electro-acoustic performance for drumset.
The fourth and final performance in this concert series is set to occur on Sep. 24. Guitarist Brandon Ross and bassist Stomu Takeishi, who compose of the musical duo “For Living Lovers,” will play their unique dialogue and timbral language for guitar and bass. Their music poses physical, philosophical and sonic questions. At the same time, they invite listeners to participate in an intimate conversation.
The Noguchi Museum is located at 9-01 33rd Rd. For more information, visit noguchi.org.
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