SONIC MUD: Sound Performance with Artworks 

March 2, 2024 | 4:00 - 5:00 PM 

Artists: Julia Elsas, Kenny Wollesen, Kirk Knuffke and Madeleine Ventrice 

Activating her ceramic sculptures with sound, “Poetic Gestures” featured artist Julia Elsas will present a one-of-a-kind musical performance alongside her band SONIC MUD. 

SONIC MUD musicians play a range of ceramic flutes, drums, natural trumpets, shakers, clayrimbas, rain machines, water whistles and more, all hand-built by Julia. The performances are unique and one-of-a-kind. The music is improvisational while they bring to life the richly resonant and earthy sounds of clay. In early 2023 SONIC MUD recorded their first album, Above Ground at Figure 8 studios in Brooklyn, and the album was released on September 1, 2023. 

Drummer and vibraphonist and SONIC MUD band member Kenny Wollesen is a ubiquitous presence on the New York downtown music scene.  For close to three decades, he’s played, recorded and toured with everyone from Tom Waits to Jim Hall, Butch Morris to Lou Reed and David Byrne to Bebel Gilberto. Wollesen is an integral part of the Bill Frisell Trio, the downtown super band Sexmob as well as many of John Zorn’s groundbreaking ensembles.  

Madeleine Ventrice joined SONIC MUD at the beginning of 2023 for the recording of "Above Ground" and she has been performing with the band in Brooklyn, Baltimore and in Georgia, playing horns, nose flute and small percussion. In addition to that, Madeleine is a choral singer, performing for over 12 years in various choir ensembles in Italy, where she comes from, and in NYC. She also works as an architect in Brooklyn and she is currently designing a performance space in Long Island.

Accolades for cornetist and composer Kirk Knuffke include NPR’s Best Jazz Album of the Year for 2017’s Cherryco (SteepleChase), winner of DownBeat Magazine’s “Rising Star” critics poll in 2015, and recipient of the Jerome Foundation Composers grant. In 2016, he placed 2nd in the European El Intruso Critics poll for trumpet.  Knuffke has released 18 recordings as leader or co-leader and is featured as a sideman on over 50 recordings with leaders Matt Wilson, Allison Miller, Butch Morris, Uri Caine, Pierre Dorge and Michael Formanek to name a few. It’s no wonder the New York Times tagged Knuffke as “one of New York City’s Busiest Musicians.”