The Treachery of Sounds

Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble

February 27 - February 28
von der Heyden Studio Theater

Presented by Duke Arts Presents

A performer with a cloth over their head on stage with chamber musicians to the side

“a startlingly visceral, colorful listening experience.”

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two people in an art museum argue over the validity of a work that questions the very meaning of meaning. One is accepting if detached, the other is troubled but engaged. Visitors come and go, choosing their journeys, inviting us into surreal scenes of love, loss, alienation, attraction, and wonder.

Theatre of Music (a.k.a. The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble) has joined forces with composer Steven Bryant to create an immersive, multi-disciplinary work inspired by Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. Challenging accepted notions of reality, Magritte has shown us time and again that the eye may well lie to us… But what of our ears? Should we trust them? The Treachery of Sounds explores the porous and transient nature of reflection.

Your Season. Your Way.

Pick-4 Packages are available now! Choose 4 or more performances, get up to 20% off, and enjoy priority seating.

Single Tickets Available Tuesday, June 17.

Production Credits

Music by Steven Bryant
Stories, scenarios, and lyrics by Kevin Noe and Lindsay Kesselman Choreography by Gary Abbott
Directed by Kevin Noe

Performers
Erika Boysen, Flute
Gunnar Hirthe, Clarinet
Nathalie Shaw, Violin
Norbert Lewandowski, Cello
Oscar Micaelsson Piano, Actor
Ian Rosenbaum, Percussion
Lindsay Kesselman, Singer, Actor
Zan de Spelder, Lighting Designer
Chris McGlumphy, Sound Designer
Caroline Dahm, Dancer
Tristian Griffin, Dancer
Steven Bryant, Composer, Creator, Sound cues
Kevin Noe, Director, Singer, Actor, Creator

About Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble

The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (PNME) was founded by Pittsburgh composer, David Stock, in 1976, and since then has commissioned and premiered over 300 works by composers including John Cage, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Michael Daugherty, David Lang, Derek Bermel, Pierre Jalbert, and Kevin Puts. Current Artistic Director, Kevin Noe, assumed that post in 2000 and implemented a new artistic vision that completely transformed the company: incorporating the drama, lighting, sound, and stage design of theatre into PNME’s concerts. PNME’s Pittsburgh audience has grown by over 600% since 2002, and the wildly successful experiment continues as a fully realized performance style dubbed the PNME “Theatre of Music.”

Today’s PNME is a fixed ensemble (flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, percussion, soprano, and bass-baritone) of artists from around the world, chosen through a rigorous audition process, who perform a summer festival season in July at City Theatre in Pittsburgh’s vibrant South Side neighborhood each year. 

Artist Website | Instagram | Facebook

Get Tickets
When
  • Fri, Feb 27, 2026 at 7:30pm
  • Sat, Feb 28, 2026 at 7:30pm
Where

von der Heyden Studio Theater
2020 Campus Drive
Durham, NC 27708

Venue Details
Ticket prices
  • $25General Admission, Advance
  • $30General Admission, Day Of
  • $10Students*
Notes

Pick-4 & Save! Save up to 20% when you book four or more shows at once! 


Duke employees save 25% on single tickets. 

*All high school and college students are eligible for student tickets with valid ID shown at event. 

Duke students and employees, Log in through Shibboleth to access Duke-exclusive discounts. 

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Artist To Be Announced

Artist To Be Announced

Sunday, November 2 at 7:00pm

The artists originally scheduled on this date are no longer be able to appear on next season’s Chamber Arts Series. We are actively securing a replacement ensemble of comparable stature and will share updates as soon as we are able.