Performance art troupe Squonk Opera will return to SUNY Oswego to perform its latest musical multimedia extravaganza “Brouhaha.” Sponsored by the university’s ARTSwego Performing Arts Series, the free performances invite all ages to the South Lawn adjacent to Marano Campus Center for shows at 2 and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, and at 1 and 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4.
The performance arts troupe Squonk Opera will return to SUNY Oswego for four showings of its musical multimedia extravaganza “Brouhaha.”
Sponsored by the university’s ARTSwego Performing Arts Series, the free performances invite all ages to the South Lawn adjacent to Marano Campus Center for shows at 2 and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3, and at 1 and 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4.
“Brouhaha” is billed as an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery and the thrill of audience participation.
At the center of this romp is the Squonkcordion, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells. Throughout this visual extravaganza, Squonk’s musicians add driving rhythms, vibrant keyboards, wild winds and hypnotic guitar riffs to the Squonkcordion’s rich and brassy sound. A raucous fusion of styles, Squonk’s music ranges from propulsive and exhilarating to celebratory and majestic.
At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community.
“Brouhaha” debuted in 2023, commissioned by ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Described as “Debussy meets Godzilla” by the Washington Post and “Rust Belt dada” by the Buffalo News, Squonk Opera created its first show in a Pittsburgh junkyard over 30 years ago. Over the decades since, composer Jackie Dempsey and artist Steve O’Hearn have worked with an ensemble of 10 to 20 artists to create post-industrial performances with original music, design and staging, outside the rules of mass culture, fashion or academia, according to the Squonk website.
Squonk Opera has played on three continents and in 35 of the United States, for over 1 million people live and for over 14 million on network TV.
To accommodate community members attending this performance, parking will be free across campus both days starting at noon with no permit required.
For more information on this performance and other SUNY Oswego performing arts events, visit oswego.edu/ARTSwego.