Sila
Choreography and Visual Design/Presentation: Mark DeChiazza
The two world premiere performances of this site-determined piece commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts for the Mostly Mozart Festival and Lincoln Center Out of Doors, were attended by a combined audience of over five thousand. Following the Alaska-based, 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning composer’s acclaimed Inuksuit, Sila flows from Adams’ ongoing engagement with sound in outdoor space. Inspired by the Inuit concept of sila, the spirit that animates the world, 80 leading contemporary musicians are guided by the pace of their own breaths, blending composition and sonic environment into an expansive and immersive listening experience.
DeChiazza worked to prototype, integrate, and design all aspects of the work, including the methods to synchronize and shape its 90-minute arc and its micro-tonal pitches through use of the "tuner-timer" app.
