Listening Hours with D-Composed's Khelsey Zarraga & Wilfred Farquharson
About this Event
We're pleased to invite you to join us at The Land School on Friday, September 18, from 6 PM to 9 PM, as our creative partner, D-Composed's ensemble members, Khelsey Zarraga and Wilfred Farquharson, host a Listening Hours session, sharing selections relevant to their current research projects.
In conversation, they will present concepts from their ongoing work, as well as songs that represent their influences as active performing artists in Chicago and beyond.
Tickets are donation-based, and offered on a pay-what-you-can model. Every dollar directly supports artists and ongoing music programming at The Land School. Space is limited.
About Khelsey Zarraga
Of African American and Venezuelan descent, Khelsey Zarraga is a violinist, curator, arranger, improviser, recording artist, and social justice advocate based in Chicago, IL. A 3Arts Make A Wave award recipient, Khelsey performs a wide variety of genres and has performed concerts of gospel, hip-hop, jazz, and classical music. She has collaborated with acclaimed artists and creatives such as Jamila Woods, Kris Bowers, Silkroad Ensemble, Jlin, Tricia Hersey, Cheryl Lynne Bruce, Pamela Z, Nathalie Joachim, Pauli the PSM, Angel Bat Dawid, and Plinio Fernandes. She has created original compositions and arrangements for D-Composed and enjoys curating new, community-focused projects. Khelsey has enjoyed performing across Europe, South America, and the Caribbean and in venues such as the Chicago Theater, Kaufman Music Center, Sala São Paulo, Wilbur Theater, and Harris Theater.
About Wilfred Farquharson
Wilfred Farquharson is a violist from the Atlanta, Georgia area that now calls Chicago, Illinois his home. With his versatile musicality, he thrives as a studio, orchestral, and chamber musician. As an active contributor to the dynamic musical ecosystem of Chicago, Wilfred is a violist for the Chicago-based chamber ensembles D-Composed and Crossing Borders Music. In these ensembles Wilfred has performed to critical acclaim both nationally and internationally as well. On top of these ensembles Wilfred can be heard around the city performing and subbing with renowned orchestras such as the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Sinfonietta, and occasionally as the Principal Violist of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. Outside of Chicago, Wilfred has also performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, served as guest Assistant Principal for the Augusta Symphony Orchestra, and many recording orchestras including the Re-Collective and Matt Jones Orchestras.
About D-Composed
Historians of art and culture may not currently take into full account that Black culture and creativity are a part of every musical institution's foundation that we currently see today. , a Black chamber music collective, exists to ensure that we never forget it. Led by their mission to uplift and empower society through the music of Black composers, this Chicago-based creative incubator serves as a bridge between the past and the present, connecting to the future of representation, music-centered experiences, and the communal power of Black composers and their lasting impact. For this collective, music evolves entertainment becoming a storytelling tool that educates and inspires.
D–COMPOSED /DEE-KUHM-POHZD/ – ADVERB - Our creative process that involves the breaking down of preconceived notions, barriers, and opinions of what people think classical music should be to re-writing our own narrative to reflect what the classical world could be.
In Fall of 2025, D-Composed was named one of the inaugural creative partners-in-residence at Rebuild and Theaster Gates' latest space-based, land-art project, The Land School.
About The Land School
The Land School, a new pedagogical platform at the site of the former St. Laurence Elementary School, proposes a radical model of artistic experimentation and archival stewardship, providing space, time, access, collaborative inquiry, process-driven programming, and performance, all led by an intergenerational cohort of artists, archivists, scholars, craftspeople, cultural workers, and creative organizations invested in culture as a service.
The Land School's Policies and Protocol:
Upon arrival, please enter the building at the entrance on S. Dorchester Ave.
Ride sharing is encouraged as parking is limited. Please be sure to not block the entrances and exits of our neighbors.
Firearms on the premises are strictly prohibited.
No smoking, vaping or incense is permitted inside.
No pets are allowed.
No professional photo/video equipment allowed unless preapproved by Rebuild.
Please be mindful of your neighbors by respecting their personal space and bodily autonomy.
No violence - verbal or physical - will be tolerated. Any attendee creating an unsafe environment will be removed from the premises immediately, at the discretion of the Rebuild staff.
We take the safety our all of our guests seriously. If any guest is found violating these protocols, they may be escorted off the property immediately and will not be welcome to return.
Notice of Photography and Videography
By entering The Land School, you acknowledge and consent to being photographed and/or videotaped. Images and recordings may be used for promotional, archival, or other purposes by the organizers. If you do not wish to be photographed or recorded, please notify a staff member upon arrival. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
We look forward to welcoming you!
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
