Step into a reimagined salon for the 21st century with an immersive event that blurs the boundaries between performer and audience.

Join ChamberQUEER for a one-night-only transformation of Express Newark’s Drawing Room into a vibrant, inclusive salon space for the 21st century. Inspired by historic “withdrawing rooms” as sites of intimacy, reflection, and intellectual exchange, this immersive event reimagines the classical concert as a radically welcoming gathering. Blurring the boundaries between performer and audience, the evening invites you to move freely, listen deeply, and engage with music in a setting where the art studio meets the comfort and energy of a shared living room. Rooted in the idea of social sculpture, art shaped through collective participation, this is a concert experience where your presence is part of the work.

Featuring Artists:
Danielle Buonaiuto (soprano), Theo Espy (violin), Jules Biber (cello) and Andrea Christie (piano).

The program centers the voices of women and non-binary composers across time, tracing a lineage from the 19th-century salon to today’s evolving “salon culture.” At the heart of the evening is Clara Schumann’s Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17, a powerful and expressive work that highlights her enduring brilliance. Surrounding this centerpiece are intimate chamber works by composers including Jessie Montgomery, Eve Beglarian, Annika Socolofsky, and Margaret Bonds. Together, these works create a rich, intergenerational dialogue that reclaims and amplifies voices historically excluded from the classical canon.

This performance is part of the Cultural Programming Grant and hosted by Rutgers University-Newark's Department of Arts, Culture and Media, (ACM) and SHINE Portrait Studio @ Express Newark.