Composer and sound designer Ellen Reid has written SOUNDWALK, a GPS-enabled work of public art launched on September 10 that uses music to enhance the natural environment of New York City’s Central Park, and features musicians of the New York Philharmonic and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, plus the jazz ensemble Poole and the Gang and Reid’s SOUNDWALK Ensemble. To experience Reid’s soundscape, participants download a free app and embark on a self-guided audio exploration spanning Central Park’s 840 acres; the path they choose dictates the music they hear, and no two visits will sound exactly the same. There are also special musical “Easter eggs” hidden around the park, including the world premiere recording of Reid’s When the World As You’ve Known It Doesn’t Exist, commissioned by the Philharmonic and premiered in February 2020 as part of the orchestra’s initiative marking the centennial of the 19th Amendment through commissioning and premiering nineteen works by women composers. SOUNDWALK will be available in Central Park available through December 31; it is also being presented by Saratoga Performing Arts Center from September 21 to November 1 at Saratoga Spa State Park in New York. For more information visit https://www.ellenreidsoundwalk.com/.
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