Concerto on the River is a collaborative project between artists Chad Cunha and Johann C. Muñoz. The project consists of a live classical music performance in which musicians perform along the bridge between Kingman Island and Heritage Island over the Anacostia River. The musicians will perform separately from one another with varying distances between them, pushing sonic boundaries and physically opening space for the audience to freely move around the musicians.

Traditional performance platforms create a hierarchy between the performer and the audience -- the performer controls not only the sounds, but also the manner by which the performance is observed. Shifting the location of the performers in relation to one another and the audience, as well as the venue, even the time of day, and the duration of the performance, we aim to transform the normative performative model to offer the audience a new and more equitable experience.

This unorthodox performance of classical music will be something to be remembered for attendees. The idea that audience members can walk in between the musicians and decide which way to face, where to walk, how to watch, will give each audience member decision making power not usually offered to them. The placement on the bridge, as well, offers an special space for a performance. It’s not on solid ground, but rather suspended in the air above the Anacostia River.