Sonic Sphere at Hudson Yards offers an out-of-this-world music experience

Ed Cooke, Sonic Sphere Co-Founder.

Photo by Bob Krasner

Approaching the Sonic Sphere, a one-of-a-kind concert hall now installed at The Shed in the Hudson Yards, one feels like you’re entering the future, or possibly a previously unknown planet.

Cinematic in its scope, the 65 foot diameter sphere floats suspended in the air — 34 feet off the the ground — and is accessed by a 50 step climb (a lift is available for those with accessibility needs). It wouldn’t be surprising to suddenly hear the “Star Wars” theme as you near the structure (in your head, at least).

Once inside, the musical programs — which range from Carl Craig’s ambient techno to Steve Reich’s groundbreaking minimalism — surround you from everywhere as the 124 speakers and 6 double sub-woofers play mixes that have been created just for the venue. The whole sphere pulsates with light as well, again perfectly designed to complement the music.

Chances are, however, that the audience of 250 people immersed in the experience have no idea that the whole thing began in a bedroom in London with a spark of inspiration from Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kugelauditorium, a spherical concert hall created in 1970.

Ed Cooke, described as the “impresario” of the team responsible for this iteration of the project, first created a version of the sphere in April of 2021. Having been inspired by Stockhausen’s construct — which was actually 2/3 of a sphere — Cooke set out to fill a void, as he found it ridiculous that no one had expanded on the idea since.

“I’ve always loved the magical richness of the different shapes that the human mind can take on,” he expounds. “Whether through the perception of nature, through music, imagination or storytelling. I think of cultural spaces as the essence of human life.”

“The heart of this project is community,” he further explains. The collaborative team includes Merijn Royaards (creative director) Nicholas Christie (engineering…