concert
Book of Travelers / Elevator Songs
Gabriel Kahane
Roomful of Teeth
Moving between songwriting and composition, Gabriel Kahane occupies a singular place on the American scene. For his Musica debut, he brings together in a single concert two landmark albums, Book of Travelers (2018) and Elevator Songs (2026).
Born of a train journey across the United States in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2016 election, Book of Travelers unfolds—solo at the piano—as a series of stories gathered along the way, sketching the portrait of a fractured nation. Written for Roomful of Teeth, Elevator Songs is a cycle set in an imagined hotel, where each song is tailored to a specific voice within the ensemble. Carried by these distinct presences, the scenes give shape to a gallery of characters caught in moments of waiting or transition. Through this theatre of the everyday, Kahane moves from songwriting into contemporary composition, tracing a path that is distinctly his own—political, sensitive, and embodied.
Program
Gabriel Kahane
Book of Travelers
(2018)
— Intermission —
Gabriel Kahane
Elevator Songs
(2023)
Cast
Roomful of Teeth
vocals Estelí Gomez, Mingjia Chen, Eliza Bagg, Virginia Kelsey, Jodie Landau, Steven Bradshaw, Thann Scoggin, Cameron Beauchamp
AFTER PARTY
Klub Camina × Musica
from 11pm
Karmen Camina
Gabriel Kahane, Elevator Songs (2023)
commissioned by Roomful of Teeth
supported by Meany Center for the Performing Arts (Seattle), Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa (Iowa City), San Francisco Performances
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Roomful of Teeth
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Florent Ghys
Caroline Shaw
Sun, 20 Sep 2026 — 19:00
Cité de la musique et de la danse