Project In Development

Developing a multi-sensory concert experience for the deaf community

Metropolis is producing an innovative concert for the deaf community in collaboration with MERGE Art Collective, a nonprofit creating music events for the deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, and deaf disabled.

“Visual PoeMusic” will feature new works commissioned by Metropolis from a cohort of six composers led by Molly Joyce, to be scored to works of deaf poets and live-signed by internationally-acclaimed visual storyteller and ASL Slam founder, Douglas Ridloff. This one-of-a-kind concert experience brings together cross-disciplinary and cross-sensory collaboration of both deaf and hearing artists.

Molly Joyce

Molly Joyce’s music has been described as “serene power” (New York Times), written to “superb effect” (The Wire), and “impassioned” (The Washington Post). Her work has presented at TEDxMidAtlantic, Bang on a Can Marathon, and in Pitchfork. She often performs with her toy organ, an instrument which engages with her disabled left hand, and studied at Juilliard, Royal Conservatory in The Hague, and Yale School of Music. More »

Douglas Ridloff

Douglas Ridloff is a poet and visual storyteller creating original works in American Sign Language. He has gained national and international recognition, having performed in Jamaica, Cuba, France, Germany, Israel, Australia, the United Kingdom, and in such venues as the Whitney Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Douglas’s work has been featured in NBC News, Circa, HBO, Vice, CNN’s Great Big Story, and at TEDxVienna and TEDxUniGeneva. More »

Sandbox Percussion

Described as “exhilarating” (The New York Times) and “utterly mesmerizing” (The Guardian), Grammy-nominated ensemble Sandbox Percussion brings out the best in composers through their unwavering dedication to artistry in contemporary chamber music. Sandbox Percussion captivates audiences with performances that are both visually and aurally stunning, solidifying them as leaders in the fields of contemporary music and percussion. Brought together by their love of chamber music and the simple joy of playing together, Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum, and Terry Sweeney engage a wider audience for classical music through multidisciplinary collaborations with today’s leading artists. More »