Discovering the Music of Paintings

How does a painting sound? How do line and shape, color and texture, mood and compositional relationships translate into music? Join Oliver Prezant and violinist Carla Kountoupes, clarinetist Jerry Weimer, and cellist Katie Harlow for an interactive, musical exploration of the artwork of Carlos Canul. Carlos’ extraordinary paintings suggest the liminal world between matter and spirit, where landscapes dissolve into ethereal states and the boundaries between objects soften into the awareness of something larger. During the program, you’ll have a chance to share your thoughts and ideas as we create original music based on your impressions of the paintings. The artist will be present during the program.

"Carlos’ paintings are both timeless and evolving,” said Prezant. “Some of them seem to reference ancient cultures and the deeper processes of mythology. It’s going to be really fascinating to hear what the audience has to say about them, and to see what the musicians come up with as we work together to capture the essence of these paintings in sound. We'll rehearse to get ready, of course, but the musicians won't see the paintings until the day of the performance. I’m really looking forward to it!

Thanks to our event sponsors: Don and Andrea Fineberg.

This event is a production of Opus OP Arts and Education Projects.

Image: Carlos Canul, 2016, The Journey Of Venus Through the Underworld, oil on canvas, 60 x 72.

Photo courtesy of the artist, used with permission.

Photo captions and credits:

Conductor and arts educator Oliver Prezant: Ruthanne Greeley

Violinist Carla Kountoupes: Will Wilson (Diné)

Clarinetist Jerry Weimer: Nacha Mendez

Cellist Katie Harlow: Joseph Sabella