Brooklyn Academy of Music presents Brooklyn-based Sō Percussion in Where (we) Live with multiple artists

Embarking on its most ambitious project ever, the acclaimed ensemble Sō Percussion invites multiple artists in various disciplines to explore ideas of home and community in Where (we) Live from Dec 19 to Dec 22 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St).

Written and performed together with singer/songwriter/guitarist Grey Mcmurray (itsnotyouitsme, Knights on Earth), the songs in Where (we) Live are by turns wry, nostalgic, thoughtful, and rambunctious. The collaborative stage presentation, directed by Ain Gordon, invites artistic colleagues working in different mediums into Sō’s creative “home,” allowing their own ideas and work to change the process: Martin Schmidt’s videos show the quirky and un-noticed beauty in our homes; Emily Johnson delivers secret instructions to the performers onstage to alter the progress of the performance.

In addition, each night a new guest artist from Brooklyn appears onstage with Sō Percussion and Mcmurray, elevating the unpredictability and exhilaration of live performance. On December 19, Paula Greif molds ceramics on stage; on December 20, blacksmith Marsha Trattner’s anvil pounding forges with Sō’s sound; on December 21, painter Riccardo Vecchio builds images on canvas as the music unfolds; on December 22, furniture maker Victoria Valencia punctuates Sō’s percussive sound with her own hammering.

In Where (we) Live, Sō Percussion aims to move beyond the safety of its artistic home by "inviting the unknown to ‘come on over.’" According to Sō, “we’ve asked video artists, songwriters, painters, choreographers, directors, and others to substantively alter our process. The resulting performance contains a society of possibilities: composed pieces, chance elements, visual associations, and theatrical interactions."    

Where (we) Live is Sō Percussion's third evening-length production, following Music For Trains, a site-specific work in southern Vermont's train stations, and Imaginary City (commissioned for the 2009 Next Wave Festival), an exploration of the universal in city life.

For ticket information, please call 718-636-4100 or visit www.BAM.org.