The Gauntlet: Faraway Together

An extraordinary 3D audio experience

Put on your headphones and listen to a libretto composed personal narratives of individuals from the Abu Dhabi and the NYUAD community in a 3D audio experience that moves around you.

Every version of The Gauntlet is composed and staged for its specific location. The piece created specifically for Abu Dhabi captures the cultural moment of placelessness brought on by the global pandemic, and deals with reconciling distance and connection at this time, in memories, and in notions of home and belonging. The Gauntlet: Faraway Together is performed by the NYUAD Choral Ensemble under the direction of Clare Lesser.

The Gauntlet: Faraway Together was originally planned as an in-person event during Spring 2020. However, due to COVID-19, it was developed online and adapted for a virtual and remote audience. Through Zoom, Coco Karol interviewed 20 diverse members of the Abu Dhabi community, using a self-developed, specialized process of “movement interviews.’‘ Drawing from these interview texts, composer Sxip Shirey wrote an original choral score with a libretto drawn from the voices of our community. The NYUAD Choral Ensemble, under the direction of Clare Lesser, recorded their parts individually, which were transformed into an immersive, spatially designed sound installation for audience members to experience through headphones.

For best experience, use over-the-ear, closed back, circumaural headphones that cover your ears fully and completely cut out external noise. Beyerdynamic DT 770Pro, Sennheiser HD280Pro, Audio-Technica ATH-M70x or noise-cancellation headphones like Bose QC 35 are some of the good options.

Listen to The Gauntlet: Faraway Together and read the libretto Here

http://thegauntletfarawaytogether.com/