Duquesne SoundWalk

The Duquesne SoundWalk is on at The Frick Pittsburgh on Saturday, October 17, from 8 AM to 5 PM. It's a collaboration with students from Duquesne University's Mary Pappert School of Music, who've put together a series of soundscapes that add a whole other layer to the museum experience. Instead of just looking at the grounds, you get to hear them.

Here's how it works: you pick up a map at the Grable Visitor Center and then head out into the gardens. When you hit a SoundSite, you scan a QR code with your smartphone to hear a recreation of the Frick past. The recordings take you back to the sounds surrounding Clayton in the 1890s, the interior of a turn-of-the-century steelworker's home, the way automobile horns have evolved over the years, and the music the Frick family actually listened to. It's a bit like an audio tour, but built around specific spots on the grounds rather than a linear narrative.

The project won the 2023-24 John G. Rangos Sr. Prize, a university-wide award for innovative academic initiatives imagined by Duquesne students and faculty. Assistant professor of musicianship Nicole Vilkner leads the work, and her students are continuing to develop new SoundWalk projects in other locations. The walk itself sits within the Living Collection Series, which uses the accredited arboretum's dozens of tree and shrub varieties, decorative and vegetable gardens, and historic greenhouse as a backdrop for learning through walks, tours, and lectures.

It's free and open to all, so you can take it as slowly as you like. The Frick Art Museum is part of the experience, and the whole thing runs from 8 AM to 5 PM on Saturday, October 17.