Gravitations

The Renaissance Society at University of Chicago (2025)

Commisioned by The Renaissance Society, this evening length work was created in response to Ximena Garrido-Lecca’s Germinations, installed in the gallery. Drawing on Garrido-Lecca’s exploration of time and space, the piece brings together recordings of radio broadcasts, gravitational waves, and layered field recordings of the mundane urban soundscape.

Music for Union Station

Union Station, Chicago (2025)

video excerpts

Music for Union Station is a chamber work responding to the Great Hall of Chicago’s central train station. Inspired by the historic space’s expansive acoustics, and an ongoing interest in the mundane and profound possibilities of sound, Kohl’s piece creates a unique soundscape for intentional audiences and train passengers alike.

Co-produced by Experimental Sound Studio, the piece featured an ensemble of ten Chicago-based musicians: Dorothy Carlos (cello), Lia Kohl (cello) Zachary Good (clarinet), Gerrit Hatcher (tenor saxophone), Riley Leitch (trombone), Nick Meryhew (trombone), Beth McDonald (tuba), Zach Moore (upright bass), Jason Stein (clarinet), Macie Stewart (violin)  

The performance was supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council and a gift from Zach Smith.

Variations on a Topography

Constellation Chicago (2024)

video excerpts

Variations on a Topography is a chamber work for seven musicians exploring the interplay between acoustic and radio frequencies, past and present time, improvising and pre-recorded material. The work takes the Chicago am/fm radio signal as its starting point, expanding upon it with bass clarinet, cello, double bass, percussion, and electronics.

The piece is a reimagination of a solo work by Kohl for radio static and sine tones, originally commissioned by Wave Farm for Radia.fm. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)

Jason Stein - bass clarinet
Zachary Good - bass clarinet
Dorothy Carlos - cello
Lia Kohl - cello
Ro Lundberg - bass
Zach Moore - bass
Sam Scranton - percussion + electronics

Water on the Bridge (with Katinka Kleijn)

Eckhart Park Natatorium (2019)

Water on the Bridge is a surreal and playful exploration of tenderness, violence and letting go through the unlikely pairing of cellos and water. An ongoing project now with three iterations, Katinka Kleijn and Lia Kohl create site specific work exploring the possibilities of cellos in and around bodies of water. Each iteration incorporates elements of theatre, movement, and improvisation, as well as a rich sonic landscape drawn from both water and cellos.

The project’s first full scale performance took place in March 2019, and was performed with 30 cellos in and out of the swimming pool in the Eckhart Park Natatorium. The pair played, floated and moved around the cellos accompanied by live electronics and recordings.

The performance was supported by Chicago’s Night Out in the Parks initiative.