Reborn: Musical Innovations with the Bigelow Chapel Organ Pipes

Join 2023-2024 Artist-in-Residence Eden Rayz for a death-aware musical performance that celebrates the 100th Anniversary homecoming of the Bigelow Chapel pipe organ* after it was decommissioned by Mount Auburn and reformed by Eden as a new multi-component instrument called Argent and Sable**. Performed alongside the cello with vocals, electronics, and percussionist Austin Birdy, Eden’s original compositions, “Aboriginal Sensible Muchness” and the world-premier of “Lux Aeterna” (“Eternal Light”) will explore collective grief, reinvention, ritual, and the abstraction of time.  

Attendees are encouraged to listen, meditate, and even participate as vocalists (no experience necessary). The one-hour performance will be recorded live, and attendees may pre-order Eden’s limited-release album, The Cemetery Tapes, at the event with an exclusive QR code.  

*In October 1924, a Hook & Hastings pipe organ was installed in Bigelow Chapel as part of an interior renovation by Architects Allen and Collens, reflecting a return to a more traditional setting for funeral and memorials services. Over the next several decades, the Cemetery received fewer requests to use the organ for services and the cost of repairs and restoration increased. In December 2022, the organ was de-accessioned and removed from the Chapel. Today, only the organ’s altar façade remains.

**“Argent” refers to the silver color of the principal pipes and “sable” refers to black, the absence of color worn in mourning.  

 Event capacity: 75 people 

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EDEN RAYZ is a Boston-based composer, cellist, and vocalist. In May of 2022, she self-released her debut solo album Corpus Vice. The album was written in response to climate grief and as functional music to aid listeners in introspection. She is the front person for death metal bands Angel Grinder and Scaphism. As a session cellist, she has recorded and performed with bands including Moon Tooth and Third Eye Blind, and improvised on soundtracks including the 2023 Grammy-winning Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök. Her solo flute works have been performed at Carnegie (Weill) Recital Hall and her chamber works have premiered at Musiikkitalo in Helsinki, Finland and in Cortona, Italy. Eden has lectured on string performance, graphic notation, and composition at Berklee College of Music, Harvard University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). 

The performance will take place in Bigelow Chapel. 

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For inquiries about accessibility, to request an accommodation, or if you have any questions about your membership, please contact friends@mountauburn.org.