PROSPECT HEIGHTS — On a hot summer day, the sound of a fountain splashing is music to the ears.
And this summer, the Brooklyn Museum wants local musicians to compose music to pair with the sounds and sights of the Jane and David Walentas Fountain, located near the southwest corner of Eastern Parkway and Washington Avenue.
The “Score the Fountain” contest is an open call for submissions of music inspired by the pattern of sprays, bursts and jets from the fountain, museum staff said. The fountain is programmed to spray in five different patterns throughout the day, but only one will be used for the contest. A video clip of that pattern will be posted on the museum’s website by Friday for potential contestants to see.
“The hope is that people will score to the fountain as they watch it — whatever it is it makes them feel or if they want to score to the actual movement of the water,” said museum spokeswoman Fatima Kafele.
The museum came up with the idea for the contest after years of hearing from visitors who said they imagine music in their heads while watching the fountain.
Any type of composition — whether jazz, calypso or house music — is encouraged, Kafele said. Submissions are due by July 30, at which time they’ll be judged by local musicians who have played at past museum events. A winner will be announced at the museum’s First Saturday event in August, which falls on August 2. Several of the best submissions will be played in a public show in front of the fountain on August 14 at 6:30 p.m.
For more information about how to submit a piece of music, visit the Brooklyn Museum website.
