Synergy Weekend

Carnival of the Animals

Friday, August 18 · 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall

Special preview performance of a new work co-commissioned by La Jolla Music Society for SummerFest’s Synergy Initiative

Carnival of the Animals is a new evening-length piece conceived and performed by spoken word artist and poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph, in collaboration with the legendary dancer Wendy Whelan (Associate Artistic Director, New York City Ballet) and acclaimed choreographer Francesca Harper (Artistic Director, Alvin Ailey II).

Rooted in the iconic Saint-Saëns composition, this reimagined vision comes to life with poignant spoken word and transcendent movement, with music from the original Saint-Saëns as well as composer Sugar Vendil. Together they create a multidisciplinary mixtape that imagines the animals that reside in our country’s contemporary political jungle.

Commissioned by Seattle’s Meany Center for the Performing Arts, and co-commissioned by the Synergy Initiative, New York’s Lincoln Center, Chicago’s Harris Theater and Stanford University, with support from MAPFund and SOZO Impact, this work receives its special preview performance at La Jolla SummerFest and features festival artists Inon Barnatan, Joyce Yang, Geneva Lewis, and Gabriel Martins.

Additional funding for Synergy provided by

SummerFest 2023 sees the return of the Synergy Initiative, a series co-produced by Inon Barnatan and Clara Wu Tsai, which invites top creators of music, dance, spoken word and visual arts to work together and create exciting projects that amplify one another’s vision and reach, expanding the audience’s horizons.