A new production by Sxip Shirey and Unicycle Productions
See the first glimpse on November 9, 2026 at La Monastere as part of CINARS international performing arts conference.
On the way to a party in Berlin, an electro brass band from New York gathers circus artists in Montreal, takes a wrong turn in London, passes through Tirana and Istanbul, and lands in New Orleans.
The legendary Sxip Shirey leads a circus driven by music featuring bullhorn harmonicas, dirty electronics, sousaphone, percussion, and other unusual instruments, in a celebration where music and circus become one.
Director: Guillaume Blais
Produced in partnership with: PRODG
Performers: Sxip Shirey · Attis Clopton (drums) · John Alterie (sousaphone)
With Montreal artists: Marjorie Nantel · Annie-Kim Déry · Jérémy Vitupier · Luther Bangert
“Sxip Shirey makes performances that are as thoughtful as they are wild. Drawing on decades immersed in composition, circus, and performance, he creates an exhilarating world where meticulous craft meets spontaneity, play, and beautiful chaos. His shows don’t simply entertain—they pull you into a completely unexpected universe of sound, movement, and possibility.”
“How do you describe the indescribable Sxip Shirey? Circus music composer with the energy and presence of an old school ringmaster, a lover of a great pop hook with an expansive vision who can find the sweet spot in between funky Balkan brass, object based compositions, orchestral scores, and R&B earworms. Endless musical surprises that elevate whatever collaborator he works with.”
“Sxip Shirey is a mad scientist of sound, funk, and fun! The JANK! Circus mashup is a raucous ride where Sxip and his collaborators mix a genius chemistry of daring physical feats, and inventive musicianship. A highlight of our season!”
“It’s Eastern European brass band meets New York hip-hop. Shirey and his band’s infectious energy works with the exuberance of the circus performers, carrying the vitality of the cast out into the audience.”
“Eclectic and Original”
“Shirey Is the Living Embodiment of the Spirit of John Cage, Committed to the Tenets That Music Is Play and Listening to Music Is an Active Endeavor.”
“The multifaceted New York-based musician is renowned for his kaleidoscopic array of gewgaws and gadgets repurposed for performances by a one-man gonzo orchestra…his résumé doubles as a passport of imposing sophistication and variety.”
“…his performances seem a combination of careful planning and spur-of- the-moment inspiration.”
Sxip Shirey is an international composer, producer, sound artist, and sonic pioneer.
A prominent figure in contemporary circus arts, Shirey most recently composed new works for the multi-award-winning Australian circus company Gravity and Other Myths for their 2026 production LOUDER, an acclaimed collaboration with the Brandenburger Symphoniker that fused physical acrobatics with reimagined classical music. Prior to this, he was the composer and music director for the hit circus arts production LIMBO, produced by Melbourne-based Strut N Fret Productions House and London-based Underbelly and South Bank Center. LIMBO toured internationally (2013-2019) to critical acclaim, including performances at the Sydney Opera House, London’s Southbank Center, the Bogota International Theater Festival, and Madonna’s 57th Birthday party.
Shirey’s compositions, performances, and curated evenings, Sxip’s Hour of Charm, established him as a fixture in New York’s underground art scene and internationally. He makes music, sound design, and Foley for theater, dance, and film. Shirey presented at TED, is a United States Artist Fellow, and has been an artist curator and artist-in-residence at National Sawdust, Brooklyn. Continuing his deep relationship with the venue, Shirey and his frequent collaborator Coco Karol presented the immersive work We Don’t Need the Sea To Drown at National Sawdust in January 2026.
His community-inclusive, immersive choral works, The Gauntlet, also developed with Coco Karol, have been created for Rockefeller Center, the Sydney Opera House, Bard College, Friends of the Highline, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and virtually in 3D immersive sound for the NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center. Shirey teaches workshops in Text and Object-Oriented Composition at the Norwegian Theater Academy in Fredrikstad, which he considers a contemporary Black Mountain College.
He is a collaborator of singer, scholar, and song composer Rhiannon Giddens, and released tracks together that include “All Babies Must Cry,” “Woman of Constant Sorrow,” and “Just the Two of Us.” Shirey composed for the short Neil Gaiman film Statuesque which premiered on Christmas Day on SKY TV, UK.
Other compositional highlights include music for choreographer Morgan Thorsen’s Still Life, for choreographer Dan Safer’s The One You Feed at M.I.T., the Pearl D’Amour production Ocean Filibuster which premiered at A.R.T. in Boston, music for Little Amal’s visit with the artist SWOON’s Sibylant Sisters presented by Saint Ann’s Warehouse, and music and Foley for puppeteer Kate Brehm’s The Poacher at Harvard University.