by North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Free CSU event merges science and art for the community on September 8
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Colorado State University will host a free public concert blending music, science, and immersive art to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the first detection of gravitational waves. The event, WAVES: Listening to the Cosmos, takes place on Monday, September 8, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. inside Griffin Concert Hall.
The concert translates real gravitational wave data into a spatialized soundscape, performed by Australian composer and cellist Benjamin Skepper. This will mark Skepper’s U.S. debut, the culmination of nearly a decade of collaboration with scientists in the field.
The 2015 detection of gravitational waves—ripples in space-time caused by the merging of black holes—was first announced publicly in 2016 and marked the beginning of a new era in astronomy. CSU Distinguished Professor Carmen Menoni, co-organizer of the LVK Fall Meeting, said the Fort Collins concert “highlights both the scientific achievements of the international gravitational wave community and the creation of a remarkable work of art.”
The project involves CSU’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance, along with the Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics departments, offering a unique interdisciplinary learning opportunity for students.
The performance is part of the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA (LVK) Fall Meeting hosted at CSU and is open to the public free of charge. No tickets are required.
Community members are invited to attend the premiere of WAVES: Listening to the Cosmos on September 8 at Griffin Concert Hall. More details are available at CSU’s official event page: WAVES: Listening to the Cosmos.
Information provided by Colorado State University Engineering Source and CSU School of Music.