Making Music from Our Surroundings

How can we make music drawing inspiration from the sounds of our daily lives? How can we translate into sound what we observe in a painting, a text message, a book, ourselves, or the world? What lies behind notes and rhythm? Is there more to sound than what we hear in a song? In the past few decades, musicians have explored alternative ways to compose and perform music by employing graphic scores, paintings, sets of instructions, cues, poems, and more. In this two-part monthly workshop series, in Session I, each month we will discuss the nature of sound, the artists who have expanded the definition of music, and the techniques to withstand and reframe the city’s sonic bombardment. And in Session II, each month we will create music together using instructions and strategies that we will develop collaboratively, getting closer to the essence of making music and to the joy of having a creative outlet and perspective on life. All are welcome to drop in to all or any sessions any month, though it is recommended to attend the paired first and second sessions of each month in order and continue for as many months as you wish. The first sessions of each month will focus on what sound is, how it affects us, and the connection between sound and our emotional states. We will explore how to hear “music” in everyday sounds, practice sound meditations to withstand the sonic pressure of urban environments, examine the relationship between sound and memory, and describe and represent sounds in creative ways. We will also focus on a recent history of artists and composers exploring alternative ways of thinking about music, composition, and structure. We will listen and discuss excerpts from the likes of Éliane Radigue, Anthony Braxton, Pauline Oliveros, Otomo Yoshihide and much more. The second sessions of each month will focus on creating strategies to make music. By breaking down the characteristics of sound (timbre, speed, density, pitch, etc.) we will explore ways of making music that don’t always rely on traditional harmony. We will be using tools of modern production such as samplers and midi keyboards as well as instruments that the participants are welcome to bring. Prior musical experience is welcome but not necessary—just open ears, open minds, and open hearts. Matteo Liberatore is an artist and composer working in experimental music and intermedia art. Since 2018, he has released several records that dance between contemporary classical, electronic, noise, and free improvised music, including Solos (2018, Innova Recordings), Neutral Love (Duo with Amirtha Kidambi, 2021, Astral Editions), Death In The Gilded Age (Quartet with Ava Mendoza, gabby fluke-mogul, and Joanna Mattrey, 2021, Tripticks Tapes), Lacquer (2022, Tripticks Tapes), FEED (2025, New Focus Recording), and Reality Pills (2026, Soap Library). He has collaborated with a wide variety of artists and musicians, including Mark Kelley, Elliott Sharp, and Gold Dime, and played hundreds of shows, from DIY venues and museums to festivals and landmark stages such as The Stone and King’s Theatre. His work has been reviewed and featured in Entertainment Weekly, All About Jazz, Paste Magazine, WNYC, The Quietus, Free Jazz Blog, and many more. His first solo guitar album Solos was included in Ted Gioia’s 100 best albums of 2018.