Studio Sound: Sable Elyse Smith

The Museum of Modern Art presents Studio Sounds: Sable Elyse Smith at the Museum of Modern Art from July 3rd through July 14th.

The second annual presentation of Studio Sound—a performance series that champions artists and musicians whose work engages new possibilities for sound and music—premieres a new opera, titled If you unfolded us, by interdisciplinary artist and writer Sable Elyse Smith, in collaboration with composer David Dominique and vocalist Freddie June.

Smith’s work draws from the legacy of Conceptual art, using video, sculpture, photography, text, and sound to confront the mundane and pervasive impacts of systemic oppression. If you unfolded us is an immersive multimedia work, for two voices and an eight-piece chamber ensemble, comprising a series of songs that weave together an unfolding love story between two Black women and the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery.

Dominique’s score fuses traditional and popular musical forms, with influences ranging from R&B and jazz to musique concrète and contemporary chamber music. Set against the backdrop of a developing storm, the performance explores the political, collective, and dramatic potential of the voice, as well as the ways in which language dissolves through sonic expression.

Smith has written the libretto and created video for the performance. Taking a cinematic approach, she combines found footage with imagery from the performers’ interior worlds. In addition to the live performances, during the hours listed below the Studio transforms into a multimedia installation, featuring the work’s video and sound.

Performance schedule
Wednesday July 10, 8:00 p.m.
Thursday July 11, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday July 13, 3:00 p.m.
Saturday July 13, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday July 14, 3:00 p.m.

The matinee performance on Sunday, July 14, will be followed by a conversation between the artists and Martha Joseph, The Phyllis Ann and Walter Borten Assistant Curator of Media and Performance.

Video viewing schedule
Wednesday, July 3–Sunday, July 7, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 10–Thursday, July 11, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m
Friday, July 12, 10:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 13, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 14, 10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m.