Highly-acclaimed musician and MacArthur Fellow John Zorn was commissioned by the Contemporary Jewish Museum to curate a series of sound pieces for the Museum’s Special Events/ ‘yud’ gallery, a unique space featuring a 65-foot ceiling, 36 diamond-shaped skylights, and walls that converge at different angles. Featuring new work by leading musicians and composers such as Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Erik Friedlander, David Greenberger, Chris Brown, Z’EV, Terry Riley, Alvin Curran, Christina Kubisch, Marina Rosenfeld, Raz Mesinai, and Jewlia Eisenberg, the Aleph-bet Sound Project acoustically explores the Kabbalistic principle that the ancient Hebrew alphabet is a spiritual tool full of hidden meaning and harmony. The works musically link the alphabetic symbols in architect Daniel Libeskind’s design for the new facility with the Museum’s mission of exploring traditions within a contemporary context.

John Zorn Presents the Aleph-Bet Sound Project is supported by a generous grant from The Guzik Foundation.