Swans is an audiovisual collaboration between Lia Kohl and Jess Bass on the Veterans Park Lagoon in Milwaukee, WI. An open-to-the-public performance on swan pedal boats, Kohl will compose and direct an octet for brass instruments, and Bass will create choreography and wing sculptures. The music is inspired by the calls of trumpeter swans and informed by the unique acoustics of music across water. The score will be a combination of notated and improvised portions. The choreography draws from swans’ flight and swimming patterns, creating a gliding processional parade across the Veterans Park Lagoon.

Presented by Out There, an experimental performance series curating strange sounds in unique spaces. The Out There series is dedicated to fostering deep listening, artistic exploration, and ecological awareness through outdoor performances in Milwaukee’s green spaces. By uniting poets, musicians, and performance artists from the Midwest, they create immersive experiences that highlight the interconnections between nature and sound. 

Performers include a wide range of Milwaukee- and Chicago-based dancers and musicians. Dancers participating in SWANS include Amanda Maraist, Angela Frederick, Ayako Kato, Graciela Gonzalez, Hattie Grimm, Maggie Seer, Nicole Spence, Saoirse Ahumada Furin, Tuli Bera, and Zoe Mei Glise. The saxophonists involved will be Gerrit Hatcher, Fred Jackson Jr., Molly Jones, Luc Mosley, Sen Morimoto, and Mai Sugimoto.

FREE, details.