Known for “Unsilent Night,” composer Phil Kline brings a new outdoor, participatory work to PS21’s The Dark festival on February 16, inviting audiences to experience sound, landscape, and winter as collaborators.
If you’re familiar with Phil Kline, it’s likely through “Unsilent Night,” his annual, boombox-powered procession that turns city blocks into a moving, many-voiced choir each December. It’s communal, unruly, and unmistakably his. Now Kline is bringing a brand-new project—its world premiere, no less—to Chatham on February 16, where it will anchor The Dark, a new winter-facing festival at PS21 Center for Contemporary Performance.
Titled “Force of Nature,” the piece extends Kline’s long fascination with music that happens with people, not to them. As with “Unsilent Night,” audiences aren’t parked in seats and left to observe from a polite distance. Instead, they become part of the performance’s physical and sonic fabric, moving through space as sound unfolds around them. The difference here is context: “Force of Nature” is designed specifically for PS21’s grounds and for winter itself.
Functionally, “Force of Nature” unfolds as a guided, participatory walk. Audience members are invited to move through PS21’s grounds together, following a loose choreographic path shaped by sound cues, timing, and spatial relationships. Rather than listening passively, participants activate the piece simply by being present—walking, pausing, clustering, and dispersing as instructed—allowing the music to emerge through motion and proximity. No musical training is required, no performance anxiety induced; participation is intuitive and collective, with Kline’s score designed to accommodate variation chance. Comfortable boots, warm layers, and a willingness to follow directions are the only real prerequisites.
Kline has spent decades blurring lines between concert music, sound art, and public ritual, often placing his work outdoors or in unconventional settings where environment asserts itself as a collaborator. Force of Nature follows that trajectory, using the site and season as active forces that shape how the piece is heard and felt. The result is less a concert than a shared excursion—one that rewards curiosity, attention, and a willingness to bundle up.
Yes, it will be cold—cold enough to make the walk back to the car feel heroic. But that edge is part of the appeal. In Kline’s hands, discomfort becomes connective tissue, sharpening awareness and pulling people into a shared moment. “Force of Nature” promises not just a premiere, but a reason to leave the house and step into the dark.
“Force of Nature” is free and family-friendly. RSVP via this link.
