Project In Brief

  • This annual series brings new music to world-class institutions, open streets, and public parks across New York City.

  • Metropolis partners with organizations including Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Make Music New York, and NYC Department of Transportation.

  • Each project employs dozens of independent artists and expands community access to the arts through free, public, immersive experiences.

 
Impact by the Numbers

28,000+

audience participants since 2021

530

musicians and composers employed

40

new original works commissioned

120

event locations across New York City

7

festivals and pop-up series to date
 
Project Partners
 
 

Commissioning Project

Ongoing Since 2021
  • In response to the pandemic, Metropolis commissioned flexible musical works for any combination of instruments at a variety of scales. 
  • Composer cohorts have prepared 40 new works to date, inspired by topics such as NYC's diverse neighborhoods and nature’s first musicians — birds.
 
 

Biophony Pop-Up NYC

Summer 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2023
  • Diverse independent artists in the Metropolis community collaborate to create a pop-up concert using a self-organizing digital platform.
  • These accessible and “pandemic proof” experiences draw thousands of participants to unexpected areas in the city that are rarely offered new music.
 
 

Biophony Festivals

September 2021 and May 2022
  • Metropolis and Brooklyn Botanic Garden partnered over multiple years to create outdoor musical adventures with pods of musicians across the 52-acre gardens. 
  • Each listening experience was unique, determined by the wide range of instrumentation, ranging from a choir of singing dancers, saxophone trio, and instruments from ancient to modern.
 
 

Biophony SoundGarden

February 2023
  • Metropolis and Brooklyn Botanic Garden co-commissioned an immersive soundbath experience by composer Ricardo Romaneiro and 20 Metropolis musicians, in collaboration with BBG’s curators, gardeners, and horticulturists.
  • The 40-minute synchronous work was presented hourly in Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s conservatories.
  • Hundreds of visitors of all ages used hands-on interactive plants as live musical instruments to create their own “living” composition.
 
 
 

More Projects

Take an in-depth look at Metropolis Ensemble projects over the years.