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Maya Fridman

The Architecture of Trees

The Architecture of Trees is an immersive music performance by cellist and maker Maya Fridman, performed alongside vocal quartet Storm in a Jar.

Maya stands with her eyes closed, holding a cello in her hands, surrounded by trees, with two singers on either side of her.
Photo: Marco Douma

About

Blending contemporary music, electronics, and natural soundscapes, the performance invites the audience to experience the forest as a living, resonant presence. At its core are two world premieres by composers Scott Ordway and Rob Zuidam, unfolding as a single dramaturgical arc. Inspired by the myths and texts in which trees become speaking beings, — from Swinburne’s Hertha to the Norse world tree Yggdrasil — the music explores our emotional and symbolic relationship with nature. Throughout the performance, music is interwoven with electronic layers derived from the recordings of ancient trees, created by sound designer Antal van Nie. Together, sound, space, and movement form a musical ritual that encourages the audience to slow down, listen deeply, and reconnect with what a forest can mean; not just ecologically, but humanly.

Background

A co-production of Maya Fridman Foundation and Silbersee. Supported by Fonds Podiumkunsten