The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) Santa Fe is proud to present an extraordinary live sound art performance by Tatsuya Nakatani’s Gong Orchestra (NGO) on Sunday, November 3rd, 2024. This community-based contemporary sound art project has traveled worldwide, performing across North America, from Alaska to Mexico. Under Nakatani’s expert direction, local ensembles are formed in each location, offering a unique, immersive auditory experience. The performance features 16 large-scale gongs and an original score that envelops the audience in waves of complex tones and microtones, created by bowing custom-made instruments. Nakatani’s unconventional techniques and instruments transform each performance into an ethereal, multi-layered soundscape.
Tatsuya Nakatani, a world-renowned percussionist, composer, and sound artist, has been captivating audiences since the 1990s with his innovative approach to experimental music. With over 80 recordings and more than 150 performances annually, Nakatani blends elements of new music, improvisation, and sound art.
Since its inception in 2011, Nakatani’s Gong Orchestra has toured prestigious venues, including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the Oregon Fringe Festival in Ashland, OR, The Issue Project Room in New York City, and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Each performance is unique, featuring local players trained by Nakatani to collaborate in creating the vibrant, resonant sounds of the orchestra.
The evening will also feature an opening set by Rob Magill, an experimental multi-instrumentalist from Southern California. Magill’s wide-ranging influences, from jazz and blues to classical music and punk, provide an exciting contrast to Nakatani’s resonant gongs.
This event is made possible with the collaboration of Santa Fe Noise Ordinance and Sandbox Music.