#CreateInPlace Friend Edition: Justin Sherburn
POSTED ON MAY 19, 2020 BY LONG
This week’s Mid-Week Intermission features our friend Justin Sherburn, composer & bandleader of Montopolis (and a Texas landscape aficionado). Photo credit: Sarah Annie Navarrete.
I first performed at the Long Center in 2010 with a beloved production by Tongue and Groove Theater called “The Red Balloon.” That show helped me coalesce some musicians that would later become my group “Montopolis.”
For the past ten years, I have had the honor of composing for these amazing artists with backgrounds in jazz, classical, and just about every other genre of music. We started out performing live scores to silent films, and now we create elaborate multimedia concerts with film and live narrators. There’s always a new challenge, and ti’s always pretty fun making art with my friends.
HERE’S HOW I’M SPENDING MY FREE TIME THIS WEEK
Violinist Leigh Mahoney and I have played tango at Esquina Tango for years. They are broadcasting all kinds of music, dance, and yoga classes right now. I don’t dance or do yoga much, but I like checking in on these wild Argentinians. Monica and Gustavo are always in a good mood!
My wife gave me this book by local author Jesse Sublett for my birthday. It’s a deep dive into some charismatic criminals that came to fame in 1960s’ Austin.
I’ve been researching drive-in movie theaters as potential new venues across the nation. This site is incredible. I have yet to reach out to the folks who created it, but I am very impressed with their passion for these venues and the attention to detail in their documentation. The site gives accurate, updated information on the current status of a truly American cultural phenomenon.
I bough a pizza pan and have been making my own pizzas. Best investment I ever made. It also takes me back to when I worked at Avanti’s Pizza in Fort Worth in high school. Good times.
WHAT MONTOPOLIS IS UP TO
We are all looking forward to our live concert that will be featured on the Long Center’s Facebook page on May 23. We’ll be performing abridged versions of our shows about Big Bend National Park and the Texas coast. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to play with Montopolis again and grateful to The University of Texas at Austin, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Long Center for helping us make this happen.
