Stephan Haluska

Meet the Artists of BUILD ✨ Artists are coming together to support and shape the next phase of The Dance Hub! Stephan Haluska (he/they) is a Cleveland-based harpist, composer-performer, music technologist, and concert producer. As a harpist, he draws from the instrument’s unique textural, physical, and kinetic qualities. Viewing the harp as a frequently misunderstood and underrepresented instrument in contemporary music, he often rejects conventional modes of playing in favor of finding new ways to expand his sound palette. Stephan plays with an advanced vocabulary of extended techniques and preparations, which explore the use of various tools, materials, gadgetry, and household objects, attached to or suspended from the harp as he interweaves elements of found sound, assemblage, sound art, and movement into his artistic practice. Stephan embraces technology within his practice. Through laptop electronics, Stephan creates systems to process the sound of acoustic instruments. Stephan is on faculty at Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Music, teaching digital music composition, where he also serves as technical director for CWRU’s Experimental Sound Lab. The lab’s current project revolves around Brain-Media, where they use electrodes to measure brainwave activity and sonify it in real-time. Turning the brain into a musical instrument. Since 2021, Stephan has led Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP) as Managing Director. CUSP is dedicated to strengthening the artistic engagement of the Northeast Ohio community by championing the creation and performance of new and experimental music through concert programming and other events. Bio continued in the comments. Purchase your tickets using the link in our bio or by clicking /build-fundraiser-performance-may2 #themovementproject #thedancehub #buildfundraiser #purchaseticketstoday #neohioartists

Okapi is an Asheville, NC-based avant-folk duo that typically employs upright bass and cello, but has recently taken an alternative compositional approach using harmonium, cello, and voice to explore a contemporary interpretation of Appalachian-style murder ballad themes and other folk music elements, forming unique original pieces that thematically confront the complex relationship between man and the divine feminine of nature. // Halumnen is the electro-acoustic trio of Stephan Haluska, Naomi Columna, and Graham Rosen. Their project includes voice, harp, and other acoustic instruments processed through laptop electronics. Structural elements are ceded to the computer algorithm to examine the decision-making process in improvisation. Halumnen will present a multimedia work with accompanying video in 4-channel audio. This event is something of a birthday party for Stephan Haluska. Come celebrate with good music!

The Friends of Oberlin College Libraries presents F. W. Murnau’s FAUST With Live Accompaniment by Stephan Haluska Friday May 1st, 6PM Mudd 443 Stephan Haluska will provide live musical accompaniment for the silent film Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926, dir. F.W. Murnau). Faust is a classic of expressionist cinema, with a running time of 1:46:26. Stephan Haluska is an improviser, harpist, and composer. Stephan is Managing Director of the Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP), and a lecturer in the music department at Case Western Reserve University. Previously, Stephan taught at Oberlin Conservatory as a visiting professor of Technology in Music and Related Arts (TIMARA). You can learn more about Stephan at stephanhaluska.com. This event is made possible through generous sponsorship by the Friends of the Oberlin College Libraries. You can learn more about the Friends at libraries.oberlin.edu/friends-of-the-libraries. The event is open to the public, and will take place in Mudd 443, a shooting studio on the fourth floor of the Seeley G. Mudd Learning Center and Mary Church Terrell Main Library. Main entrances are located at the east side of the building, on first and ground levels, accessible by ramp. Main entrance doors and stairwell doors are equipped with automatic openers, and the fourth floor may be accessed by stairs or elevator. Mudd 443 has a wide entranceway, but the doors to this room are not equipped with automatic openers. Accessible restrooms with fragrance-free soap are located on the third, second, and ground (A) levels of the building. You can find floor plans at oberlin.libcal.com/maps. For more information on accessibility, or to request accommodations, you may call (440) 775-5072, or email [email protected].

Music promptly at 8PM Lea Bertucci is a NYC based experimental musician whose work bridges performance, installation and multichannel activations of acoustic space. An experimental guitarist, artist and architect based in Brooklyn NY, Sandy Ewen’s guitar playing is centered around found objects and extended techniques. She performs solo and in many diverse musical and multi-media collaborations. Ongoing projects include duo with a Damon Smith, an all-female large ensemble, the trio Etched in the Eye, and a duo with Tom Carter called Spiderwebs. Since 30 years Norbert Rodenkirchen dedicates himself to the artistic dialogue between old and new sounds, between Middle Ages and today. On the one hand well in demand as a soloist and longtime ensemble member of Sequentia in the scene of historically informed performance practice. On the other hand he is very active in the new music scene of Cologne. Stephan Haluska is a Cleveland-based experimental harpist, improviser, composer, and technologist. Drawing from the harp’s unique textural, physical, and kinetic qualities, Stephan plays with an advanced vocabulary of extended techniques and preparations, which explore the use of various tools, materials, gadgetry, and household objects. Frequently exploring electronics, Stephan creates interactive systems to process the sound of acoustic instruments.

Coming up Thursday. Deep improvisation zones with Haluska, Dick, Ilgenfritz. Will be heady and alive.

March 18, 7:30PM Mistake by the Lake Records Leo Chang (feedback hat instrument) Naomi Columna (vocals) Stephan Haluska (harp+electronics) $10 Since 2019, experimental musician and sound artist Leo Chang has been building electronic performance setups derived from Korean folk practices and instruments. On the basis of using 4 different Korean gongs as amplified resonators via transducers and various audio processing, Chang’s custom-built instrument has undergone many iterations. What started off as a unique way of live processing Chang’s improvised vocal sounds has become an obsession over uncovering electroacoustic possibilities of amplified gong resonance involving resampling, audio feedback, gestural interactivity, among others. Chang’s latest addition is the jeonmo, which is an electronic reimagining of the sangmo, a hat with a long, spinning whip made of ribbon attached to its crown, which is worn and played during sangmonori, a Korean folk tradition where the instrumentalist/performer plays and dances simultaneously with their percussion instrument. Chang modifies the sangmo hat by replacing the spinning ribbon with a lightweight, mini microphone. The act of the mic moving within the amplified gongs creates feedback between the transducers and the mic-ed hat-whip, resonating the gongs. Chang’s movement in turn interacts with the sound in a dynamic way. Photography: Elyse Mertz

Robert Dick, Stephan Haluska, & James Ilgenfritz Flute, harp, & bass March 5, 8PM Bopstop Presented by New Ghosts Innovative and influential flutist, Robert Dick, teams up with avant garde harpist Stephen Haluska and bassist James Ilgenfritz for a night of inspired original music and improvised music. This performance is co-presented by New Ghosts and Bopstop. In June 2025, Robert Dick, Stephan Haluska, and James Ilgenfritz released “Time Wants a Skeleton” on Infrequent Seams. “Time Wants a Skeleton” marks the second collaborative release of Robert Dick and Stephan Haluska, expanding upon their creative approach to the classical flute and harp pairing, now as a trio, with James Ilgenfritz joining on upright bass. The trio recording in 2023 documents their first time, all playing together. Featuring three generations of improvisers, “Time Wants a Skeleton” celebrates and transcends age through the timeless art of spontaneous composition. “Time Wants a Skeleton” was named an Honorable Mention for the New York City Jazz Record Best New Releases for 2025. $20

A FREE evening of happenings – music, art, performance – at the Akron Art Museum!Warm, bright, and energetic – exactly what a February night in Akron, Ohio calls for and what this annual Museum celebration of art, music, and community brings! This evening of creative happenings delights with performances, interactives, and tasty snackings: perfect for friends, couples, family, and fellow creatives to gather, discover, and remember. CUSP (Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project) will curate music performances at a designated stage in the Museum’s lobby. 6:00pm A FREE evening of happenings – music, art, performance – at the Akron Art Museum!Warm, bright, and energetic – exactly what a February night in Akron, Ohio calls for and what this annual Museum celebration of art, music, and community brings! This evening of creative happenings delights with performances, interactives, and tasty snackings: perfect for friends, couples, family, and fellow creatives to gather, discover, and remember. CUSP (Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project) will curate music performances at a designated stage in the Museum’s lobby. 6:00pm MouseVision is a collaborative movement/sound collective, informed by Butoh, Deep Listening practices, and improvisation. It consists of Laura Swedenborg (Butoh dance), Kristen Ban Drake (Butoh sound), and bbob drake (sound) 7:00pm Work for interactive electronics and acoustic instruments with Stephan Haluska (harp) / Leia Hohenfeld (flute) / Torstein Johansen (upright bass) / Liam Battle (cello) 8:00pm Horses 4K, Jacob Trombetta (pedal steel guitar) Robin Guiler (synthesizer), Ambient project for pedal steel and electronics

Cleveland—thank you. Three powerful nights, three unforgettable spaces, and audiences who met us with curiosity and openness. We’re deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for “An Evocation of Our Current Time,” and to our special guests for making this project come alive. Next up: find us in Minnesota this weekend.

Special guest @stephanhaluska joins No Exit and Zeitgeist this January for “An Evocation of Our Current Time”—a 55-minute immersive multimedia work blending sound, film, illusion, AI, and environmental transformation. Join us as No Exit channels the stunning complexities of the present moment: 📍Thursday, January 8 / 7:00 PM - @trinitycleve 📍Friday, January 9 / 7:00 PM — @spacescle 📍Saturday, January 10 / 7:00 PM — @heightsarts 🎥: Stephan Haluska - Prepared Harp and Fan at Bopstop

Sunday, January 11 @ 7:30PM Waterloo Arts Cafe Ipek Eginli x Stephan Haluska Electronics $EGG,000,000 Electronics ¡Bananaquit! Cello & Bass $10 No one will be turned away for lack of funds

Cleveland-based improviser, harpist, and composer @stephanhaluska joins No Exit and Zeitgeist for “An Evocation of Our Current Time.” Drawing on the harp’s percussive, physical, and kinetic possibilities, Stephan reimagines the instrument through extended techniques, preparations, and various materials. Stephan is the Managing Director of Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project (CUSP) since 2021 and teaches music technology at Case Western Reserve University. Experience Stephan live in this immersive multimedia performance: 📍 Thursday, January 8 / 7:00 PM — @trinitycleve 📍 Friday, January 9 / 7:00 PM — @spacescle 📍 Saturday, January 10 / 7:00 PM — @heightsarts #StephanHaluska #Harp #ZeitgeistEnsemble #NoExit #HeatherBarringer PattiCudd PatOKeefe NicolaMelville NewMusic ContemporaryMusic ClevelandArts ClevelandMusic ExtendedTechniques PreparedInstruments ClevelandUncommonSoundProject CWRU