The Out There Series is “dedicated to fostering deep listening, artistic exploration, and ecological awareness through outdoor performances in Milwaukee’s green spaces.” Their next event is called Swans, a musical experience performed by musicians floating in swan boats on the lagoon at Veteran’s Park. The performance is free to attend and takes place at 2 P.M. on Sunday, Aug. 30.
Composer Lia Kohl seeks to create inviting soundscapes for people to enjoy for free and out in the world. After a successful takeover of Chicago’s Union Station, which positioned musicians on cello, saxophone, clarinet, tuba, bass and violin throughout the Great Hall, Kohl is turning her compositional compass north, to Milwaukee.
Partnered with visual artist Jess Bass along with a team of dancers operating “wing structures,” Kohl is bringing free music and performance art to Veteran’s Park lagoon on Sunday, Aug. 30. I spoke with Kohl about the upcoming Swan Boat performance, reading The Odyssey and the whimsy of live music in unexpected places.
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So give me a rundown on the performance itself. What can people expect?
We’re really excited about this. The event is co-presented by the Out There Series, which is a monthly series in Milwaukee. They present all kinds of music in different parks and are amazing to work with. This event is a collaboration between me and a visual artist, Jess Bass.
We both live in Humboldt Park, Chicago, and have seen swan boats in a similar lagoon near our house. Jess very whimsically noticed that the swans don’t have wings. So as a sculptor, she was like, “Well, maybe I’ll make them some.” I thought that “it would be so wonderful to create a piece with swans that are moving accompanied by music.”
We’re both really interested in making art that’s accessible for people, but that can also exist outside of traditional venues. Sometimes even the fact that something is in a museum or in a concert hall can be a thing that stops people from experiencing it, because they feel intimidated by the scope. We’re both really interested in making art that breaks down that barrier.
I can only imagine just walking up on the performance: swan boats with saxophones and dancers, it would be so joyfully surprising.
Totally, and you know the world is dark in a lot of ways right now and I think part of the point of the piece is to just bring some joy and whimsy into people’s lives.
Yeah, I think those are two very important things and they can be hard to generate on one’s own: to encounter joy and whimsy in the wild is a pretty good thing for sure. So, tell us about the music folks should expect to hear.
The music that I’m writing is a sextet for saxophones. So there’ll be six boats, and each boat will have a saxophone player on it. I chose sax because they kind of sound like swans. I want people to have this moment of “wait, is that actually a swan, or is it an instrument?”
Speaking of whimsy, when you were a kid, what kind of music got you excited?
My mom was a wonderful singer and composer, who would sing with me at the piano. One of our fun evening activities was that we could sit at the piano together and choose certain songs to sing while she played.
What’s inspiring you nowadays, artistically? What are you listening to, reading, or watching?
My partner and I just read the Odyssey to each other. Which was really fun and I was surprised by how gripping it is, because it’s like a 3000 year old poem, but it was so enthralling and beautiful. I also just read a novel called Beauty Land, which I highly recommend. It’s about a girl who becomes an adult and believes that she’s an alien. It’s an incredible book. I’ve also been listening to a label mate’s record by Gregory Uhlmann called Extra Stars.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention about the performance?
I’ll just say that Jess’s wing sculptures that she’s made are really amazing. It’s a feat of engineering that she’s created and it really adds to the spectacle. We have dancers from Chicago and Milwaukee who are operating the wing sculptures, and I’m really excited to see that part of it. As far as logistics, we suggest people bring something like a little picnic blanket or a little chair, but we’ll also have some picnic tables there for people to sit at. Plus you can view the show from any point around the lagoon.
