In ‘Shelter’, three of the most influential composers of our time, Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe, explore the vulnerability we all share: the longing for a place where we can breathe, hide, disappear, or start anew. No two homes are the same, but the need for it is universal.

Since their collaboration in Bang on a Can, the three composers have developed a musical language that is pulsating, raw, and movingly honest. In ‘Shelter’, that language covers the full spectrum of feeling: from whispering small and intimate to music that resonates in your chest with rocking intensity.

For the staging, visual artist Johannes Offerhaus (curated by Studio Boris Acket) creates a kinetic installation that literally moves with the ensemble. Offerhaus has a wide range of collaborations within the performing arts to his name. He designed sets and costumes for productions such as Papillon (Philharmonie Luxembourg). His textile installation for ‘Shelter’ (growing, shrinking, breathing) is like a body that encloses us and then releases us. A temporary refuge that protects as often as it questions. His work amplifies the sensory experience in which space, skin, and music become one; where shelter is something that arises, disappears, and must be sought again. The image below gives an impression of Offerhaus’ installation.

Before and after the concert, the audience can immerse themselves in a specially designed contextual program around the theme of ‘shelter.’ Throughout the concert hall foyer, various program components can be seen and experienced that explore what shelter (or: being able to shelter) means to them. This collection of reflections we‘re eager to share—but we’re also curious about what the work and the theme mean to the audience.

Let yourself be embraced by ‘Shelter.’ A place where we find comfort, warmth, and each other. ‘Shelter’ is a musical hug that you simply must experience live!