Performance Dates & Times

Thursday, November 12 at 7:30pm

Friday, November at 13 at 7:30pm

Saturday, November 14 at 7:30p

Sunday, November 15 at 3pm

TREYA LAM

A LIVING ALTAR

Created by treya lam

a living altar is an immersive communal musical ritual that supports reconnection between body and spirit, land and lineage, and each other. The project brings together sound, movement, and installation to create a shared space of presence, grief, and healing. The work centers a plant-based altar that surrounds and holds the audience in a living installation that grows and transforms throughout the performance. Participants will be invited to contribute to the altar by bringing flowers, exchanging cuttings, and taking home living plants at the end of the gathering.

Using voice, viola, prepared piano, alternative tuning of the guitar, singing bowls, bells, and hand drums, the project draws from traditions of spiritual jazz, Aboriginal Taiwanese ritual, Americana folk, and Asian American protest songs. There will also be extended string technique on affected viola. a living altar builds on the work of Alice Coltrane and Nobuko Miyamoto. Improvisation and structured composition are central to the creative process, along with practices of deep listening, breathwork, and collective singing. These sonic elements support a larger communal act of remembrance and rehumanization.

CREATIVE TEAM
treya lam
Raheem Mercy Badejo
Marie Lloyd Paspe
Ji hae

About the Artist

treya lam

treya lam is a composer, interdisciplinary performing and recording artist, and curator whose intersecting identities inform and ignite their work. lam’s voice culminates in liberation-oriented songwriting and environmental scores throughout solo and collaborative work across disciplines that “perfectly captures the mixture of love, loss and hope” (Smithsonian Magazine). they are gearing up to release their sophomore album “otherland: a sonic altar” which features Allison Russell and Valerie June. 

treya’s debut album Good News was created entirely by womxn and released via Kaki King’s label. As an active member of the Resistance Revival Chorus, their song “Dawn” was featured on the RRC’s album This Joy alongside Rhiannon Giddens and released on Righteous Babe Records. They have been a OneBeat Fellow, Joe’s Pub Working Group resident, and NYCLU Artist Ambassador. lam has supported and shared stages with Ani DiFranco, Valerie June, Allison Russell and Susie Ibarra and has performed original music at Lincoln Center, MASS MoCA, and Newport Folk Fest.