BOWIE CELLO SYMPHONIC at MIT Thomas Tull Concert Hall

BOWIE CELLO SYMPHONIC AURA: BLACKSTAR VISUALIZED Maya Beiser, cello; Evan Ziporyn, conductor; Ambient Orchestra

Saturday, January 10 2026 8:00PM EST
MIT Thomas Tull Concert Hall
201 Amherst St, Cambridge, MA 02139

Tickets start at $47

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Composer Evan Ziporyn unveiled a stunning reimagining of David Bowie’s final album, Blackstar, as a cello concerto by visionary cellist Maya Beiser in 2017 that has mesmerized audiences around the world. Now, on the 10th anniversary of the legendary star’s passing, Alex Rigopulos (cocreator of Rock Band and Guitar Hero) and studio Secret Portal add an immersive video projection to the music performed live by Beiser and the 20+ musicians of Ambient Orchestra—resulting in the powerful multimedia tribute Aura: Blackstar Visualized. This concert honors legendary composer Glenn Branca and the continuing work of the Glenn Branca Ensemble to expand what is possible in contemporary music. Branca’s 45 years of work as a composer included music for experimental rock bands, large ensemble instrumentals for electric guitars, symphonies for both electric instrumentation and acoustic orchestras, chamber ensembles, an opera, a ballet, choral works, and music for film, dance, theater, and installation art. His impact is also felt in the influence he had on artists as diverse as Sonic Youth, David Bowie, Swans, and many other composers and sound artists. The Glenn Branca Ensemble, led by Reg Bloor, concertmaster and Branca’s right hand since 2000, will perform the soon-to-be-released The Third Ascension and Branca’s last composition, “The Light (For David)”. Also on the program will be two of Branca's rarely performed orchestral works, Free Form and the first movement of Symphony No. 14: 2,000,000,000 Light Years from Home, performed by the Ambient Orchestra under the direction of Evan Ziporyn.

This performance is copresented by Global Arts Live and MIT Music & Theater Arts.