Sun Dogs: Filmmaker and Composer pairings
Produced by Liquid Music
"An example of how to engage an audience emotionally through mystery and understatement." –The New York Times
“The unity and richness of this collaboration were irresistible, and the message unshakeable. Tears were a welcome necessity.” –San Francisco Classical Voice
An ongoing series, Sun Dogs brings together inspired composer and filmmaker pairs to create short-format films with new music for live orchestra, exploring how stories can be told (both musically and visually) from equal footing. An atmospheric phenomenon created by refracted light, a sun dog is striking proof that, when natural conditions are right, familiar elements can shift the way we see the world. The series' prismatic collaborations similarly allow us glimpses at another realm.
The first three Sun Dogs pairings (see below) were commissioned by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in partnership with the 2022 FotoFocus Biennial, conducted by CSO Creative Partner Matthias Pintscher. In Fall 2024, the program toured with newly arranged scores* for the “unusually versatile, reliably exhilarating new-music ensemble" (The New York Times) Alarm Will Sound with presentations at J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts (Nov 16, 2024), Brooklyn Academy of Music (Nov 18-19, 2024), Northrop (Nov 21, 2024), and Center for the Art of Performance UCLA (Nov 23, 2024).
On Blue
Rafiq Bhatia, composer
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, filmmaker
Naked Blue
Devonté Hynes, composer
Mati Diop & Manon Lutanie, co-directors
Rise, Again
Arooj Aftab & Daniel Wohl, co-composers
Josephine Decker, filmmaker
*Support for new arrangements was made possible by Tim and Calli Sullivan, Dr. Thomas von Sternberg and Eve Parker.
The series will continue with the following presentation options:
Pre-commissioned Sun Dogs offerings (Naked Blue; Rise, Again; and On Blue) with live orchestra or ensemble.
Newly commissioned Sun Dogs offerings featuring new filmmaker and composer pairings with live orchestra or ensemble.
Alarm Will Sound is an ongoing partner and our preferred independent ensemble for Sun Dogs presentations.
