Nocturne At Laguna Gloria

The Details:

When: Friday, March 7 | 7–8:30P; Doors open at 6PM

Where: Laguna Gloria @ The Contemporary Austin

Tickets: $30 (general admission); $15 (with membership)

Humans have long looked to the night sky in search of meaning. As The Contemporary Austin describes the vibe for the event: “In the sky, we have found gods, the measurement of time, chemical secrets, and divine warnings, yet the more of its secrets we decode, the more mysteries we discover and the deeper we are drawn in.”

This Friday, Nocturne invites audiences into that mystery—weaving music, light, and movement into a unique and immersive experience that includes both the indoor and outdoor spaces of Laguna Gloria.

Set against the backdrop of Lake Austin, Laguna Gloria offers a blend of art, nature, and history. As Conde Nast Traveler’s Allison Bagley describes it: “Laguna Gloria [is] a 14-acre outdoor site on Lake Austin that houses a sculpture park and an Italianate-style villa.”

And for Nocturne, that iconic landscape will become a performance space—transforming the gardens, artworks, and outdoor paths into a place for sonic and visual exploration, with “transmissions from space, experiments with light, outdoor walking, and instrument building.”

• A Composer At The Intersection Of Music, Science, And Engineering—Meet Ann Cleare: At the core of Nocturne is the work of Ann Cleare, an Irish composer known for crafting deeply immersive soundscapes. The Irish Times called her music “unique and incomparable” and describes her process as existing at the intersection of three fields: “Imagine three circles – musician, scientist and engineer – and, where they intersect, you’ll find her composing, thinking, tinkering, and teaching…”
  

• Despite the nuance and experimentation involved in her approach, Cleare is straightforward about her goal: Accessibility. In her words, “I very much want people to get it, I am not trying to alienate anyone….I always ask myself: Have I given the first-time listener enough time to get this and connect...?”
  

• Sonic Explorers: Performing Cleare’s work at Nocturne is Line Upon Line, an ensemble internationally recognized for its experimental approach to percussion-driven music. Founded in Austin in 2009, the trio has worked with composers in residencies at Harvard, Stanford, UC Santa Cruz, and UT Austin.
  

• The Austin Chronicle called the trio “sonic daredevils” and “explorers in the realm of rhythm and aural texture” with The Austin American-Statesman adding they “now stand among the most sought-after collaborators on Austin’s arts scene.”
  

RELATED—NASA x ATX LIBRARY: After you peer out into the sky at Laguna Gloria on Saturday, you can head over to the Austin Center Library on Sunday, March 9, 2025 for NASA House’s “CreateSpace” to “meet NASA scientists and engineers,” watch “film screenings & live music inspired by space,” and play with “robots, VR experiences & interactive simulators.” The Austin Public Library says the exhibit “transforms Austin’s Central Library into an immersive experience where visitors don’t just learn about space—they help shape it.”

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