NEW YORK, NY – May 29, 2019 – “In equal measures intelligent, playful, ambitious and moving, the program illuminated the shape-shifting power of the human voice.” That intoxicating New York Times review of the inaugural Resonant Bodies Festival in 2013 marked its arrival as an immediately valuable contributor to the city’s music scene. The festival has since evolved into something akin to New York Fashion Week for the new music set, offering a chance for buck-the-trendsetters to experience the high-energy epicenter of experimental vocal music. The flagship festival returns to Roulette this September 3-5, kicking off the concert season with three fast-paced nights of vocal luminaries and artistic renegades converging in the best “see and be seen” creative energy New York has to offer.

“We bring together people who light each other up,” said festival founder Lucy Dhegrae. “The palpable camaraderie among the nine featured artists – many of whom have never met – creates an incredible energy, and that transfers to the audience. The level of artistry, the distinctive projects, the flow between pools of sound – audiences can expect an unforgettable concert experience, unlike anything else in the world.”

As improbable as it may seem, Dhegrae tends not to speak in hyperbole. The festival’s unique value is built around its artist-driven programming, in which vocalists are given carte blanche to program adventurous music about which they are truly passionate. This artistic license means audiences have the chance to see such wildly disparate aesthetics as an operatic legend performing in drag, a duo weaving ASMR and 80s power ballads, and a mysterious vocalist Dhegrae described as “an ineffable arctic fox.”

“For audiences, ResBods provides a snapshot of the most innovative, compelling, and original work happening in the contemporary vocal world,” said Dhegrae. “For singers, who are so often ‘hired guns’ selected to embody the creative aesthetic of a director or conductor, it’s a chance to be seen as an artist with a vision of their own, and not just as a conduit for the music of others.”

This curatorial control leads to committed and inspired performances across an array of stylistic atmospheres. The 2019 festival will feature three compact 30-minute sets each night, intended to serve as an intriguing aural tasting menu.