SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center has relaunched Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK, a GPS-enabled work of public art that uses music to illuminate the natural environment in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
SOUNDWALK returns as a year-round installation available until June 1, 2022.
Created by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid and co-commissioned by Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK is an immersive audio experience tailor-made for the Saratoga Spa State Park featuring its famous natural springs, wooded areas, a geyser, a waterfall and now also additional trails featuring the reflecting pool and Avenue of the Pines. The exhibit is free to the public and can be experienced while following social distancing guidelines.
Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK features a newly written score, performed by SOUNDWALK Ensemble, as well as special musical “Easter eggs” hidden around the park for participants to discover. The new installation features ten times the amount of composed material as the 2020 installation along with a significantly expanded map.
After downloading the free app and putting on headphones, participants embark on an expanded route around the Saratoga Spa State Park, featuring the Avenue of the Pines, the reflecting pool area, the Vale and Geyser Springs, and more. Movement around the park triggers Ellen Reid’s soundscape -- musical cells which she carefully crafted to harmonize with the park’s landscape and attractions. The experience is guided by the listener: the path the participant chooses dictates the music they hear, ensuring that no two visits will be exactly the same.
