Inspired by Goethe’s quote, “music is liquid architecture, and architecture is frozen music,” the Portland new music ensemble Third Angle will team up with the choir group Cappella Romana to transform one of Oregon’s most famous buildings — one you might not even know exists — into an interactive soundscape.

The Mount Angel Abbey library in St. Benedict, Oregon, is one of only two buildings in the U.S. designed by noted Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. From its facade, it looks like an unassuming, one-story structure on the edge of a hill. But as you enter, the building opens up like a giant fan, two floors spreading out in a big arc with each aisle radiating from the circulation desk. And despite the “Quiet” signs, it’s no stranger to music: Duke Ellington and his orchestra played its opening in 1970.

“We love context and we love telling stories,” said Ron Blessinger, the artistic director of Third Angle. “ We love the way that music can function at the center of all these disciplines and enrich the experience of a visual space.”

Read the full story: http://www.opb.org/news/article/third-angle-and-cappella-romana-collaborate-to-merge-sound-with-architecture