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EnglishWhat Is Westwater Arts and What Does It Do?
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Westwater Arts is a multimedia performance company that creates symphonic photochoreography — a performance art form that blends evocative panoramic photography with live classical music. If you are an orchestra programmer, presenter, or festival organizer looking for a visual concert element that is cued live to your musicians, this is the relevant offering. The company is led by photographer and multimedia artist Nicholas Bardonnay, who serves as Creative Director and CEO.
What symphonic photochoreography actually is
The work pairs large-scale panoramic imagery with a live orchestra on stage. The visuals are not a static slideshow: the company describes the pieces as "cued live to your orchestra's performance," meaning the image sequence follows the music in real time during the concert.
The format has been programmed for masterworks, pops, chamber, and festival concerts by more than 200 orchestras of all sizes, according to the site. That range matters if you are weighing whether the format fits a full symphony program versus a lighter pops evening.
The four-step engagement process
Westwater Arts lays out a clear sequence for orchestras considering a booking:
- Peruse — Explore the online repertoire of concert pieces. Many pieces have multiple music options, and all have hundreds of images.
- Plan — Contact the company to discuss programming ideas, ask questions, get a quote, and reserve concert dates.
- Program — Once collaboration is agreed, Westwater Arts sends marketing materials and reviews production details.
- Perform — The team travels to your city, sets up equipment with your stage crew, and cues the concert pieces live to your orchestra.
The practical takeaway: pricing is quote-based and arranged through direct contact, so budget conversations happen at the planning stage rather than from a published rate card.
Featured concert pieces
The repertoire spans distinct themes, each with composer options:
| Piece | Theme | Composers listed |
|---|---|---|
| Mágico | Modern Mexico — diversity, beauty, warmth | Chávez, Copland, Márquez, Moncayo |
| National Park Suite | America the Beautiful and its National Parks | Beethoven, Copland, Dvořák, Ives, Vaughan Williams |
| Visions | America's First Peoples, via Edward Curtis's sepia-toned images | Barber, Vaughan Williams |
| Mother Road | Route 66 and Americana | Tyzik |
| Sagaland | — | Hovhaness, Pärt |
Because many pieces offer multiple music options, a single visual program can be matched to different orchestral repertoire — useful when your season planning is already partly fixed.
Who is behind it
Nicholas Bardonnay is a photographer, multimedia artist, and the Creative Director and CEO at Westwater Arts. His photography has been exhibited in galleries in London, Los Angeles, Portland, and Hong Kong. Since joining the company in 2009, he has worked on more than 140 concerts with orchestras across the U.S. as well as in Scotland, England, Singapore, Canada, Poland, and Germany.
Is it a fit for your orchestra?
Consider Westwater Arts if you want a ready-made visual concert program with live cueing, existing marketing support, and a repertoire that can be paired with standard orchestral works. The touring model — the team travels and sets up with your stage crew — means the production burden on your venue is shared rather than entirely yours. The main unknowns to resolve early are cost and date availability, both handled through the planning contact step.