On November 3, 2025, Luna Composition Lab presents the second installment of The Nebula Project, a collaboration with ChamberQUEER that aims to foster creative opportunities for emerging composers of diverse identities and cultivate their authentic voices through mentorship and the commissioning of new work.
Titled Helix after the Aquarian gas giant NGC 7293, this performance explores themes of horror, enclosure, perception, mysticism, and fantasy. Moon Cove, Cecelia Olszewski, Azalea Twining, and Madeline Weisbeck were commissioned to write new pieces that resonated with these themes. Working in creative pairs, the Luna Lab Alumni and their collaborators also served as co-curators, shaping the themes of the evening. The program is rounded out by a selection of notable compositions by Luna Lab alumni Olivia Bennett, Carolina Bragg, KiMani Bridges, Madeline Clara Cheng, Devon Lee, Yuri Lee, and Mia Turakhia. Read more about the world premieres below, and join us for Helix at National Sawdust.
No Roof, No Battlements, for vibraphone, soprano, piano, violin, cello, and bass, is inspired by the 19th-century classic novel Jane Eyre. Here’s what the composers have to say about their new work:
“Crash-out of the century? No Roof, No Battlements is an operatic collage derived from excerpts of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Through a string of musical fragments, this piece tracks Jane’s disorienting return to the “stately house” she once knew as Thornfield Hall, and the man she thought she knew as Mr. Rochester. A shell of what it once was, the “blackened ruin” of Thornfield Hall propels Jane into a fever dream. In peeling apart the remains of this Gothic manor, she reflects on the facade of her past and mourns lost visions of her future.” —Cecelia Olszewski & Azalea Twining
Le Voyage Dans La Lune, for vocalist, piano, percussion, and strings, explores paranoia and hysteria, taking inspiration from a variety of sources including silent movies, thrillers, “Paradise Lost,” and Tori Amos songs, with music by Moon Cove and libretto by Madeline Weisbeck. The creators write:
“In 1938, Charles Westin’s perfect world was crumbling before his very eyes. Katie Westin wanted a divorce. You see, he simply had to put a stop to this hysteria. Charles had Katie committed to Milton Asylum under false accusations and she became a part of an experimental study. All the while, vendetta rages inside of Katie. So, beware of death, sailor, for she takes flight on her trip to the moon. In La Voyage Dans La Lune, you’re surrounded by theatrical chaos. Featuring a slapstick that creates a shocking sound and an eerie cymbal bowed on top of the bass drum.” —Moon Cove & Madeline Weisbeck
The Nebula Project, Vol. 2: Helix will take place at National Sawdust on November 3 at 7 PM. Get your tickets today!