Joan La Barbara and Shelley Burgon

Black Editions Presents world renowned composer, performer, sound artist and experimental vocalist Joan La Barbara in performance with master harpist, composer and sound installation artist Shelley Burgon. This evening is the fourth of four performances in Shelley's 2025-26 residency at 2220 Arts.

One of the world's most influential experimental vocalists, US-based icon Joan La Barbara is a pioneer of "extended" technique, having developed her own language of wordless vocalizations and multiphonic tones. She's received countless awards over the years, and has composed for various ensembles, presenting her work at venues across the world, from Warsaw to Brisbane. And La Barbara has worked with some of America's finest avant-garde free-thinkers, including Robert Ashley, Steve Reich, John Cage, Morton Subotnick, Merce Cunningham, Matthew Barney and Philip Glass, blessing each project with her unique vocabulary of sounds.