Over the years, Justin Sherburn has composed new music for old movies, new movies, stage shows, puppet shows, and all sorts of other things. His latest work, Monolith, was written for Central Texas' favorite ancient dome of granite, Enchanted Rock.
Like many in the area, Sherburn has long been fascinated by Enchanted Rock. "It was one of the first things I knew about Austin," he says, "that there was this sort of mystical place outside Austin called Enchanted Rock." His interest in the place led him to not only compose music for it, but to start asking others about their connections to Enchanted Rock as well, "recording people's interviews and conversations about their experiences at Enchanted Rock."
He's created a suite of modern classical and ambient music that is mixed with those personal recordings. As part of the multimedia show Monolith: Music for Enchanted Rock, Sherburn's suite will be accompanied by photographs by Leon Alessi and a geologic history of the site by hydrogeologist Rebecca Smyth. "I was onboard very quickly," Smyth says. "I was excited about the fact that (it's) a place where I've been going for decades...because of my interest in the geology, and also I'm a music lover."
Monolith: Music for Enchanted Rock will have its debut at the North Door on February 28.
