Huang Ruo’s City of Floating Sounds

July 23 and 24
Journey start time: 6:30 pm
Concert start time at David Geffen Hall: 7:30 pm

The concert begins before you reach your seats!

Hear the strands of Huang Ruo’s new symphony grow and meet each other as you travel through the streets of New York City – before a U.S. premiere of the full score performed by the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center conducted by Music Director Jonathon Heyward at David Geffen Hall. City of Floating Sounds is an invitation to connect with our surroundings and each other. Experience a shifting soundscape as you journey through the city. Can you find other audience members to connect with and create a richer sound? Pushing the boundaries of classical music performance, City of Floating Sounds uses cutting-edge creative technology to take music out into the city. Guided by a bespoke mobile app with a virtual map, make your way through the streets of New York City listening to fragments of Huang Ruo’s meditative new work from your phone and from others’ phones around you before you hear the full piece live at Lincoln Center. City of Floating Sounds asks you to open your senses to the city. What will you hear and who might you meet?

Step 1: Download the App

Before the show, download the mobile app to enjoy the full experience of Huang Ruo’s City of Floating Sounds. Closer to the performance, you'll receive instructions via email to download the app, which will be available on Android and iOS. Once you download the app, select your concert date, read through the instructions, and continue swiping until you reach the countdown view. At that point, you are ready to go!

Step 2: Choose Your Starting Point

Choose your starting point and arrive before the 6:30 pm start time; the path to Lincoln Center will be indicated in the app. The options are listed below, in order of proximity to David Geffen Hall; select the path that’s best for you! There will be a Lincoln Center representative at each location to assist with any questions. We recommend arriving 5-10 minutes early as the music will begin at 6:30 pm sharp; please make sure your mobile devices are fully charged.

Step 3: Play the Music Out Loud and Journey to Lincoln Center

Once you arrive at your starting location, play the music out loud via the app, without headphones. As you make your way through the streets of New York City to David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, we encourage you to make use of the heat map within the app to join other concertgoers and hear more parts of the musical composition. By design, each audience member will enjoy a unique arrangement of music, depending on who you cross paths with along your journey. There will be moments to stop and savor your surroundings; we invite you to journey through the city at a leisurely pace and allow the unexpected sounds of the city to become a part of the composition. The Big Apple truly is a "city of floating sounds".

Step 4: Arrive at Hearst Plaza

Listen to the end of the composition outdoors at Lincoln Center’s Hearst Plaza before entering David Geffen Hall for the live concert performance of the piece, played by the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. You’ll need a ticket for that evening’s performance to enjoy the live concert at David Geffen Hall, which starts promptly at 7:30 pm.

Please take a moment to read the Terms & Conditions before participating in City of Floating Sounds. By participating in the City of Floating Sounds experience, you agree to be bound by these Terms.