The world premiere performance of Ben Skepper’s self-initiated, multi-sensory work draws directly from raw gravitational wave data recorded by the international LIGO-VIRGO-KAGRA scientific community: translating black hole mergers into a richly spatialized immersive soundscape. 

This premiere also marks a rare instance of an artist-led interaction at a leading scientific summit, embodying a new model of public engagement at the frontier of art, physics, and immersive experience. 

This event is free and tickets are not required.

A special premiere

The world premiere of “WAVES: Listening to the Cosmos” will happen at Colorado State University’s Griffin Concert Hall on September 8, 2025. This public event celebrates the 10th anniversary of humanity’s first detection of gravitational waves. It’s also a rare example of artists and scientists working together to share cutting-edge discoveries with the public through immersive art.

A decade of discovery

The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors in the United States have been funded by the National Science Foundation for over 30 years. The first gravitational waves were detected on September 14, 2015, and announced to the world in February 2016. This historic signal came from two black holes that collided and merged, creating a new black hole weighing 100 to 1,000 times more than our sun. The collision happened 16 billion light-years away, when the universe was only about half its current age. This breakthrough launched a new era of “gravitational wave astronomy,” giving scientists a powerful new tool to understand how stars and galaxies form.

Looking ahead

“It’s an exceptional opportunity to bring this event to Colorado State University,” says University Distinguished Professor Carmen Menoni, one of the organizers of the LVK Fall Meeting running September 8-11 and a member of the LVK team. “It highlights both the scientific achievements of the international gravitational wave community and the creation of a remarkable work of art.” During the LVK meeting, team members will discuss how to make gravitational wave detectors even more sensitive, allowing them to detect cosmic events from farther away.

“We are delighted to engage the School of Music, Theater and Dance, the departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at Colorado State University to bring to our students the opportunity to engage in this exciting multi-disciplinary event,” Menoni says.