A musical washing machine, a desert howl, and tennis balls bouncing will be just a few of the acoustic experiences in the May 1 performance by Chris Hoff and Sam Harnett, co-creators of the 90-second public radio show and podcast "The World According to Sound." The 8 p.m. event, in Rhodes-Rawlings Auditorium, Klarman Hall at Cornell University, is free and the public is invited.

Hoff and Harnett will use an eight-speaker Meyer Sound system placed around the audience to create a surround-sound effect. "It's a powerful speaker array with some substantial subwoofers. It'll be War of the Worlds like you've never heard it before," said Harnett.

The acoustic jazz ensemble, Rhythm Future Quartet has a straightforward agenda: to keep the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive and expanding in today’s musical universe. The quartet will perform at The Canaan Institute May 4th with a jazz jam session afterward.

The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune, offers up a newly minted sound, influenced by the classic Hot Club of France, yet wholly contemporary. Led by violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli, the quartet performs dynamic and lyrical arrangements of both Gypsy jazz standards and original compositions that draw upon diverse international rhythms and musical idioms. With Max O’Rourke on second guitar and Greg Loughman on bass, Rhythm Future is dedicated to expanding the boundaries of a vital musical genre.

The Cornell Wind Symphony, Chorale, and Chamber Singers combine forces at 3:00 pm in Bailey Hall on Sunday, May 5 to explore the musical works of Percy Grainger and Igor Stravinsky, who were born only two weeks apart in the summer of 1882. Director of Winds James Spinazzola crafted the program to highlight two masterworks, Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy (1937), and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (1930), the latter of which serves as a vehicle for collaborating with the Chorale and Chamber Singers under the direction of Stephen Spinelli.

Spinazzola adds that additional pieces on the program will give the audience even more to look forward to in a diverse concert: "Ron Nelson's Rocky Point Holiday (1969) is a virtuosic showpiece for the wind ensemble. Its title and ebullient character stem from the place of its composition: Rocky Point, Rhode Island, where the composer was on vacation. John Mackey's Aurora Awakes (2009) moves from a quiet beginning to an energetic conclusion showcasing the myriad instrumental colors in the modern wind band. The piece makes extensive use of a quotation of the famous guitar introduction to U2's 'Where the Streets Have No Name.'"

Under the artistic direction of pianists Miri Yampolsky and Xak Bjerken, Cornell University's Department of Music presents Mayfest, its annual springtime festival of world-class chamber music. Held May 17–21, 2019, Mayfest will feature numerous guest artists from the world's finest orchestras, and will also highlight the exceptional talent of Ithaca-based musicians.

Bjerken and Yampolsky perform with local and international friends throughout the year, collecting ideas for musical partnerships and programs for Mayfest. Invited artists this year include a mixture of new faces, including violist Beatrice Muthelet, the principal of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; oboist Dudu Carmel, the principal of the Israel Philharmonic; and French horn player Chezy Nir, the former principal of the Israel Symphony Orchestra. Returning friends include favorites cellist Zvi Plesser, who has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic, among others; violinist Xiao-Dong Wang of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; and violinist Christina Bouey, known to Ithaca audiences as the Concertmaster of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra.