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A SONIC RECALIBRATION IN THREE ACTS PERFORMED BY KELSEY LU AND FRIENDS
A Shed Commission, 80 minutes, no intermission

Welcome Back to The Shed

It’s my great pleasure to welcome you back to The Shed tonight, more than a year after we closed our doors to help fight the spread of Covid-19. We’ve all missed live performance, and we’re honored to have you here to share it with us once again.
      Collectively, the pandemic has cost us innumerable losses, and affected many in unequal ways. An Audience with… offers the opportunity to restore a few of those losses, contributing to a reawakening of our city and bringing us together again in a communal space of creativity. You’ve supported us through our past year of digital programming with November and our Up Close series and our exhibition Howardena Pindell: Rope/Fire/Water—we appreciate you so much for that—but nothing can replace the collective experience of witnessing live performance, together.
      Since last June, I’ve worked as part of New York State’s flexible spaces task force, in partnership with a wonderful group of cultural leaders from other nonprofit organizations, to assemble the robust guidelines that have allowed our spaces to reopen safely. This group has modeled an inspiring, collaborative way of working in mutual support of our sector, and I sincerely thank the state, the city, NY PopsUp, and my task force members Rebecca Robertson, Sade Lythcott, Pat Cruz, Susan Feldman, and Kristina Newman-Scott, as well as Jane Rosenthal, Emily Eakin, and Ken Sunshine.
      Live performance comes to life in the presence of others. Admiration, respect, and thanks to our artists performing in this series: Kesley Lu and their ensemble and management; the New York Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Deborah Borda, and Isaac Thompson; Renée Fleming, Bill Frisell, Christian McBride, and Dan Tepfer, as well as Paul Batsel; Michelle Wolf, Jared Freid, and Cipha Sounds; and Zainab Johnson.
      My admiration and gratitude goes to The Shed’s talented and dedicated staff, our stellar Board of Directors, and our wonderful Shed members who continue to support and sustain us.
      Thank you to our partners at Live Nation, and to our partners at M&T Bank, Desiree and Olivier Berggruen, the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund, the Shed Commissioners, and the Charina Endowment Fund for making An Audience with… possible.
      Finally, my gratitude goes to you—artists and audiences alike—for joining us tonight in these acts of creativity, offering us the chance to experience that most precious thing, live performance.

—Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO

An Audience with… is supported by
The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund and the Shed Commissioners. Major support for live productions at The Shed is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund.
Accessibility
Important Information about Tonight’s Performance
A poster image for This Is A Test, a black background with an abstract design of a torus doughnut shape with a white outline of a person superimposed. On the poster is a stylized script with the name Kelsey Lu scrawled across the bottom half.

A Note from Kelsey Lu

This opera is a sonic recalibration acknowledging the transformation we’re all involved in. From jarring dissonance mirroring a resistance to facing one’s own traumas, as well as the collective, to harmonious drones showering a mycelial cloud that envelops everyone present into a sense of peace and transience. A womb space. Three movements, no intermission, reimagining original songs as well as newly founded ones. An improvisational sonic dance that moves the audience through the psychedelics of space. An experimentation with trusting that you’ll leave wanting to continue to live a little bit more than when you arrived.

Performing Tonight

A blurry portrait of artist Kelsey Lu against a dark background. They wear what appears to be a pink dress that is fanning up and out with their movement.
Photo: Ibrahem Hasan.
Kelsey Lu
A person in a printed dress wearing long necklaces with their left hand on their hip, against a black background.
Courtesy Alice Bacon.
Alice Bacon
A Black person sitting against a blank background with a fencing sword across their lap. They wear an open blazer, bare-chested beneath it.
Photo: Rahim Fortune.
Bryndon Cook
A woman seen in profile from the shoulders up. She cradles the neck of a cello between her upheld arm and shoulder.
Photo: Murat Eyuboglu.
Maria Bella Jeffers
A musician wearing a button down shirt with one arm crossed across his chest holding the neck of a cello up against his shoulder and behind his head.
Photo: Katrin Talbot.
Trace Johnson
A woman wearing a white dress with a sheer skirt. She has long hair draped over her right shoulder and holds a violin clasped in her hands beneath her waist.
Photo: Zach Hyman Photography.
Lady Jess
A Black woman dressed in a purple floral print shoulderless gown. She sits on a windowsill looking out with one hand resting on the windowpane.
Photo: Yanina May.
Christine Lyons
A woman seen in profile turning her head to look at the camera. She has short hair cut in an angular style to the top of her chin.
Photo: Peter Adamik.
Alicia Hall Moran
A Black man in a blue suit standing with a cello and bow in front of wooden doors topped by windows in an archway.
Courtesy Malcolm Parson.
Malcolm Parson
A white man wiith long brown hair stand with arms outstretched behind a theremin. He wears a purple blazer with a bright red tshirt beneath it.
Photo: Michael Weintraub.
Rob Schwimmer
A woman with hair parted around her face is seen from below, holding her left hand slightly cupped with fingers up to her mouth.
Photo: Michael Alley.
Melany Watson
A Black woman in a pink dress with shoulder straps stands with two gilded harps behind her.
Photo: Kyle Pompey.
Brandee Younger
A person with long brown hair hanging over their shoulders, sitting with elbows on their knees and hands crossed between them. They wear a see through white knit top and white pants.
Photo: Landon Spears.
Spencer Zahn
Kelsey Lu
Kelsey Lu is a classically trained cellist and polymuse from Charlotte, North Carolina. Lu’s artistic practice channels intersections between visual arts, performance, healing activism, and music. In addition to their solo work, they find collaborations to be fundamental in the expansion of their practice which has brought them to intertwine with artists across a wide array of disciplines from within music, film, fashion, and the fine arts.
Alice Bacon
Cello
Alice Bacon has worked with Jon Batiste, Paul Simon, Sleep No More, Pipeline Theatre Company, and others. A multidisciplinary artist, they also work in a variety of materials as a designer-fabricator.
Bryndon Cook
Music Director, Guitar, Keys
Bryndon Cook is a multidisciplinary artist, actor, and music director. Composing and recording music as Starchild & The New Romantic, Cook released his sophomore LP, Forever, in 2020. Previous creative work includes collaborations with the Newark Boys Chorus, Solange Knowles, Telfar, the Guggenheim Museum, Sydney Opera House, Hollywood Bowl, and more. Television and film credits include season three of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon, 2020) and Lin Manuel Miranda’s Tick Tick Boom (Netflix, 2021).
Maria Bella Jeffers
Cello
Cellist Maria Bella Jeffers has conveyed her vibrant energy and passion for audiences around the world in a star-studded array of orchestras and chamber ensembles. At home in NYC, she records and performs with artists from many genres.
Trace Johnson
Cello
Trace Johnson has shared the stage with eminent artists Nelly, Andrea Bocelli, Rhiannon Giddens, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenburg, Yo Yo Ma, and members of the grammy-winning ensemble, Snarky Puppy. Trace works extensively as a performer and composer in New York, Florida, and Wisconsin, in addition to holding cello positions at the Sarasota Orchestra and Sarasota Opera.
Lady Jess
Violin
Lady Jess is the artistic director and lead of Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra (UPCO). She is a contractor and lead for Judas & the Black Messiah (2021). Lady Jess’s tour and album credits include appearances with Beyoncé and Jay-Z (2016 – ).`
Christine Lyons
Voice
Christine Lyons is a critically acclaimed soprano who has been hailed a “true virtuosa” by Broadway World. Starring roles include Bellini’s Norma and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly. She has performed at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Carnegie Hall.
Alicia Hall Moran
Voice
Alicia Hall Moran, mezzo-soprano and composer, lives in NYC with her husband and twin sons. Part artistic muse, part arts producer, writer, and educator, her collaborations within avant-garde and classical music, Broadway, national tour, and jazz, new music and soul, with composers, visual artists, instrumentalists, poets, filmmakers, and choreographers are seen worldwide.
Malcolm Parson
Cello
Malcolm Parson has worked with artists including Bela Fleck, Abigail Washburn, Cyrus Chestnut, PJ Morton, The Roots, Salaam Remi, Rhiannon Giddens, Tishri Reagon, Paquito D’Rivera, Shawn Mendes, and Yebba. Parson’s television credits include The Tonight Show, Letterman, and the MTV VMAs (2018).
Rob Schwimmer
Haken Continuum, Theremin
Rob Schwimmer is a composer-pianist, thereminist, and Haken Continuum player. His latest solo album is Heart of Hearing. He has worked with Esperanza Spalding, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Simon & Garfunkel, Stevie Wonder, Mark Morris Dance, Wayne Shorter, Paul Simon, Kurt Vonnegut, and others.
Melany Watson
Voice
Melany Watson has performed with Leona Lewis, Tori Kelly & The Roots, Jennifer Lopez, and Macy Gray. Melany is a celebrated Artist in the NYC scene, has received the Abe Olman Scholarship (2015) from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and is a featured writer/vocalist on Justin Stanton’s (Snarky Puppy) debut album, Secret Place.
Brandee Younger
Harp
Brandee Younger has worked with Ms. Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, Ravi Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, and Beyoncé (original composition: Homecoming on Netflix). Recent awards include the annual Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll and Jazz Journalists Association awards. Her album is Force Majeure. Younger is on the faculty of the New School and New York University. She is the director at large of the American Harp Society, Inc.
Spencer Zahn
Keys, Bass, Vibraphone
The music of multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn is marked by openness: spacious sonic landscapes, rich with contributions from his creative community. Zahn’s newest album, Sunday Painter, is a refined step forward for the New York City-based musician—a lush collection of instrumental songs that undulate along waves of jazz, ambient pop, Americana, and neo-classical—pulling from Zahn’s established musical background and collaborative ethos.

Program & Production Credits

Shed Program Team
Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO
Madani Younis, Chief Executive Producer
Laura Aswad, Producer
Marc Warren, Director of Production
Daisy Peele, Associate Producer
Annabel Thompson, Associate Producer
Sarah Pier, Production Manager
Pope Jackson, Production Manager
New York Philharmonic Team

Peter W. May and Oscar L. Tang, Co-Chairman
Deborah Borda, Linda and Mitch Hart President and CEO

Adam W. Cox, Executive Director
Isaac Thompson, Managing Director

Justin Brown, Vice President, Production and Venues
Adam Crane, Vice President, External Affairs
Lisa Grow, Vice President, Marketing and Customer Experience

Phil Gutierrez, Production Manager
Megan Henschel, Artistic Planning Manager
Jen Luzzo, Director, Public Relations
Aileen MacDonald, Orchestra Personnel Administrator
Patrick O’Reilly, Operations Associate
Brendan Timins, Director of Touring and Operations

Shed Production Credits
Greg Miller, Stage Manager
John Torres, Lighting Designer
Stuart Burgess, Head Electrician – McCourt
Stefan Carrillo, Head Carpenter – McCourt
Jim van Bergen, Head Audio – McCourt
Seth Huling, A2
Mike D'Anna, Camera Hand
Matt Dinsick, Camera Hand
Weston Raab, Camera Hand
Maytté Martinez, Camera Hand

Merchandise

A black t-shirt with squiggly designs on the main part of the shirt and a list of names and a starburst design on either arm
A black t-shirt with a list of names and a starburst design on either arm
Shop here
In The Works

over 3 years ago

Kelsey Lu on the Power of an Audience

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Thank you for joining us tonight

Board of Directors & Supporters

The Shed gratefully acknowledges our Board of Directors, donors, and members for their leadership, steadfast support, and generosity. Their commitment to the promise of The Shed has made possible the launch of our new organization and a safe reopening during this time of unprecedented challenges for our city’s treasured cultural life.
Board of Directors

Debbie August
Heather Baker
Peter A. Boyce II
Misty Copeland
Roberta Denning
Daniel L. Doctoroff, Chair
David C. Drummond
Lew Frankfort
Dexter G. Goei
Gary Hoberman
Monish Kumar
Kate D. Levin
Christina Weiss Lurie
Frank H. McCourt Jr.
Marigay McKee
Darla Moore
Colby Mugrabi
Alex Poots, Artistic Director and CEO
Claudia Rankine
Maria Catalina Saieh Guzman
Andres Santo Domingo
Dean Shapiro
Harvey J. Spevak
Jonathan M. Tisch, Vice Chair
Jed Walentas
Fred Wilson
Deborah Winshel
Kenneth P. Wong
Dasha Zhukova

Ex Officio
Hon. Vicki Been, Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development
Hon. Gale A. Brewer, Manhattan Borough President
Hon. Gonzalo Casals, Commissioner, Department of Cultural Affairs
Hon. Corey Johnson, Speaker, New York City Council

Founding Supporters

City of New York
      Office of the Mayor
      NYC Department of Cultural Affairs
      NYC Department of Design and
        Construction
Bloomberg Philanthropies
Altice
BlackRock
Coach Foundation
The Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation
Alisa and Dan Doctoroff
Google
Kenneth C. Griffin
The McCourt Family
Darla Moore
Oxford Properties
The Pershing Square Foundation
Related Companies
Stephen M. Ross
Santo Domingo Family
Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch
WarnerMedia
Dasha Zhukova

As of March 23, 2021

Leadership Supporters

Debbie and Glenn August
Heather and Felix Baker
Boston Consulting Group
Charina Endowment Fund
Roberta and Steven Denning
Bobbie and Lew Frankfort
The Mimi and Peter Haas Fund
Gary and Alexandra Hoberman and Family
The Kapnick Foundation
Christina Weiss Lurie
M&T Bank
Marigay McKee and Bill Ford
Neubauer Family Foundation
Nike
The Saieh Foundation
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Harvey J. Spevak
TD Bank
United Airlines
VaynerMedia
The Walentas Family
Wasserman Foundation
Wells Fargo
Joanne and Fred Wilson/Gotham Gives

As of March 23, 2021

Shed Commissioners

Allen & Company LLC
Bruce A. Beal, Jr.
Jeff and Lisa Blau
Sherry Brous and Doug Oliver
R. Martin Chavez
David C. Drummond
Eva and Glenn Dubin
Larry and Lori Fink
Julis Romo Rabinowitz Family
Kirsh Foundation
Adam and Margaret Korn
Judy and Leonard Lauder
Leni and Peter May
Greg and Alexandra Mondre
Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Robert K. Steel Family Foundation
Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund
Steve Tisch

As of March 23, 2021

Shed Donors

Anonymous Donor
Altman Foundation
AMC Networks
American Express
Jody and John Arnhold I Arnhold Foundation
Shari and Jeff Aronson
Peter A. Boyce II
Cartier
Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Druckenmiller Foundation
Katherine Farley and Jerry Speyer
First Republic Bank
Ford Foundation
Mark Gallogly and Lise Strickler
Garth Greenan Gallery
Geller & Company
Howard Gilman Foundation
Goldman Sachs & Co.
Katja Goldman and Michael Sonnenfeldt
Meg and Bennett Goodman
Hanover Architectural Products
Edwin B. Hathaway
William Helman
Marlene Hess and James Zirin
Wendy Keys
Knoll, Inc.
L’Oréal
Robert Lehman Foundation
Gladys and Elliot Levine
Jeffrey E. Levine and Randi Charno Levine
Simone and David Levinson and Terminal Warehouse
Marjorie, Michael and Katharine Loeb
Sandeep Mathrani
Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
MOHAWK Industries
Colby Mugrabi
National Endowment for the Arts
Kathleen and Benjamin F. Needell
Netflix
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)
Talia and Jon Oringer
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust
PPG Industries
Prodject
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
David Rockefeller Fund
Samsung
Sciame Construction
Sidewalk Labs
David M. Solomon
TD Charitable Foundation
Tishman Speyer
ViacomCBS
Tali Farhadian Weinstein and Boaz Weinstein
Deborah Winshel and Michael Harpe
Marie and Kenneth Wong
Mortimer B. Zuckerman

As of March 23, 2021

Creative Council

Laurie Beckelman
Lisa Blau
Emily Chen Carrera
Peter and Susan Rolston Friedes
Janet Goldman
Mr. & Mrs. Martin D. Gruss
Stephanie Joyce and Jim Vos
Tara E. Kelleher
Eleanora Kennedy
Ann Cutbill Lenane
Stephanie and Jim Loeffler
Lisa and Richard Plepler
Susan Plumeri
Ellen Schapps Richman
Kara Ross
Barbara Siegler
Marie and Kenneth Wong

As of March 23, 2021

Shed Friends

Anonymous Donor
Lily and Doug Band
Bank of America
Lisa Bellucci
Benjamin Moore
Desiree and Olivier Berggruen
BerlinRosen
Jennifer C. Berrent and Carolyn Eaton Taylor
Sumita Bhattacharya & Monish Kumar
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
Carolina Herrera
Chubb Limited
Citadel
Ulrika and Joel Citron
Cloudera
Commerzbank AG
Consulate General of Canada in New York
Continental Grain Company
Dr. Ronald and Beth Dozoretz
Elle
Marian Goodman Gallery
General Atlantic
Harkness Foundation for Dance
Sandy Heller
IHS Markit
InStyle
Jane Street
Maryann Jordan and Joseph McDonnell
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Kohn Pedersen Fox
KPMG
Linked by Air
Sarah Long and David Solomon
Made Media
Magic Leap
New York State Council on the Arts
The Pinkerton Foundation
Point72 Asset Management
Sharon Prince
Susan and David Rockefeller
Rockwell Group
Dean Shapiro
Shiraz Creative
Bonnie Ward Simon Foundation
The Paul E. Singer Foundation
Esta Eiger Stecher
Steinway & Sons
Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
Thornton Tomasetti
Barbara and Donald Tober
Uniform Fighters
Volley Studio
Warburg Pincus
David Zwirner

As of March 23, 2021

Shed Makers

Nine Anonymous Donors
Dr. and Mrs. Todd Albert
Candy and Michael Barasch
Desiree and Olivier Berggruen
Tamara and Brad Bernstein
Amanda M. Burden
Gretchen and Stephen Burke
John Callery
Philip Carlucci
Emily and Mike Cavanagh
Elizabeth Cohen
Christine and Cromwell Coulson
Susan Courtemanche and Bob Coleman
Creative Business Inc.
Christopher Cronson
Paul and Caroline Cronson
Hester Diamond
Anna and Jim Fantaci
Laura and John Fisher
Katie Ford
Hugh Freund and Sandra Wijnberg
Ashley Garrett and Alan Jones
Linda Gibbs and Tom McMahon
Maria Gustafson
Susan Hayden
Chris Hogbin
Bruce Horten and Aaron Lieber
Tracey Hummer
Margaret Pomeroy Hunt and Keith Sherry
Deborah McAlister and Christopher Jones
Joyce F. Menschel
Joseph Moinian
Kirsten and Craig Nevill-Manning
Donald E. Newhouse
Elyse and Michael Newhouse
Angela and William O'Donnell
Liz Oliver
Estelle Parsons and Peter L. Zimroth
Tom Peters
Andrea Rosen
Nancy and Rick Rubens
Claudia Saez-Fromm
Helen and Charles Schwab
Kendra and Jeffrey Simes
Sarah Billinghurst Solomon and Howard Solomon
Ellen Sontag-Miller and William C. Miller
Sila Soyer
Alan and Donna Stillman Foundation
Theo U
W. O’Donnell Consulting, Inc.
Helen and Peter Warwick
Soon-Young Yoon
Lois R. Zaro

As of March 23, 2021

Revisit some of our past programs

Through the photos and videos below, get an inside look at the process of creating some of the programs before and since The Shed’s opening two years ago, including Norma Jeane Baker of Troy and Soundtrack of America from our opening in April 2019, which featured An Audience with… artists Renée Fleming and Kelsey Lu.
In The Works

about 4 years ago

In The Works: Howardena Pindell

about 4 years ago

November on Location

over 4 years ago

Troy Anthony and Jerome Ellis on the Healing Power of Music and Gathering

almost 5 years ago

Who Is Claudia Rankine?

over 4 years ago

Remembering Agnes Denes’s Wheatfield

about 5 years ago

Jonas Mekas, the Godfather of Avant-Garde Cinema

about 5 years ago

Lynn Hershman Leeson’s Shadow Stalker

almost 6 years ago

Powerplay Workshop

over 5 years ago

Meet Kelsey Pyro

over 5 years ago

A Soundscape Made Entirely of Renée Fleming’s Voice

over 6 years ago

Soundtrack of America

over 6 years ago

The FlexNYC Reunion

Part of a series

An Audience with… Read more about “An Audience with…” All details for “An Audience with…”
APR 2 – 23, 2021
APR 2 – 23, 2021
Live music, comedy, and NYC audiences, together again
More

An Audience with…

NY PopsUp

An Audience with… is presented in partnership with Live Nation, the New York Philharmonic, and NY PopsUp, as part of New York’s revitalization of live performance. Learn more about NY PopsUp at nypopsup.com or @nypopsup.

Thank you to our partners

An Audience with… is supported by
The creation of new work at The Shed is generously supported by the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Commissioning Fund and the Shed Commissioners. Major support for live productions at The Shed is provided by the Charina Endowment Fund.
The Shed is connected by