nightseed
About this Event
Friday, August 21: 6:00-8:30pm
Saturday, August 22: 1:30-4:00pm
Click “Check Availability” to reserve a spot for a VR headset experience. Can't make a reservation? No problem — anyone is welcome to drop in and enjoy the live harpist and projected visuals of the game at no cost and with no sign-up required. Guests can browse the lobby gift shop and purchase drinks from the bar throughout the event. Admission is required to view the galleries on the second and third floors.
About nightseed:
nightseed is a shared, in-person VR experience at KMAC Museum, designed to be explored together. It features music and sound design by Chelsea Komschlies, created in collaboration with Louisville Makes Games and the Louisville Orchestra.
The piece places a small group inside a magical twilit forest, among the remains of a lost civilization that stored music inside of petrified tree seeds. At the center of the forest is one of their song trees: a living instrument, or what is left of one.
As you explore, you gather seeds and bring them back to the tree. Each seed awakens part of the music, gradually changing the sound of the world around you.
Performed with live harpist alongside an immersive digital score, the piece exists somewhere between a composed musical work and a playable game: a calm, collaborative experience in which listening becomes active, physical, and shared. Rather than following a fixed path, players discover the work by trying things, noticing what changes, and remembering being there together.
About the artists and organizations:
Chelsea Komschlies
Chelsea Komschlies’ music, called “otherworldly” and “uncanny” and praised for its “vivid storytelling” (Chicago Classical Review), blends the familiar and strange in mysterious ways. She prioritizes perception of her music by the human brain and shared experiences among listeners. Her compositions, each a distinct fantasy world, evoke vivid multisensory imagery and a range of psycho-emotional landscapes, from whimsical nostalgia and camp to eerie disquiet, and from altered states of consciousness to glittering spiritual awe. A 2023 Virginia B. Toulmin Commission recipient through the League of American Orchestras, she premiered Mycelialore for orchestra and electronics with the Tucson Symphony in 2025. She joins the Louisville Orchestra’s Creators Corps in the 2025-26 season, during which time she will compose several new works for the orchestra. She is expanding her work into immersive VR and has initiated a partnership with Louisville Makes Games, a local nonprofit game developer community, to create musical compositions that are both visually immersive and gamified.
Louisville Makes Games
Louisville Makes Games (LMG) is an inclusive community created to connect and support anyone in the Louisville, Kentucky area who wants to create games! We are a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization committed to supporting game creators in and around our city. We believe that games ought to be made from the bottom up, and by people from all kinds of backgrounds. Through our classes for kids, expert talks, art gallery showcases, game jams, workshops, and collaborations with local cultural institutions, we aim to provide creative people of all stripes the opportunity and space to make games.
Louisville Orchestra
Since its founding in 1937, the Louisville Orchestra has been a trailblazer in the world of classical music, known for embracing bold ideas and expanding the role of an American symphony orchestra. Under the creative leadership of Music Director Teddy Abrams, the orchestra continues to push boundaries with exciting new commissions, innovative performances, and collaborations that bring music to life in unexpected ways.
Launched in the 2022-23 season, the Creators Corps is the first program where composers fully integrate into the life of an orchestra and its city. Each season, the LO invites creators to live in Louisville, not just as visiting artists but as active members of the community. With an annual salary, housing, and workspaces, they have the resources to craft original works, lead educational initiatives, and design projects that connect directly with the people of Louisville. This bold approach allows the orchestra to present music that feels personal, timely, and deeply rooted in our city’s unique culture, bringing audiences closer to the music than ever before.
KMAC Museum
KMAC Contemporary Art Museum ("KMAC") is Louisville's premier contemporary art museum in downtown Louisville on Museum Row. Through exhibitions, education, and outreach, KMAC works to connect people to art and creative practice. The museum acts as a creative influence in the community, drawing people together to experience its arts leadership, exhibitions, education, and permanent collection.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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