Testimonials

“Soup & Sound is one of the musical jewels in New York’s cultural crown. A group of New York contemporary music lovers assemble at Andrew Drury’s house to sample his amazing soup and to chat with the musicians who will be improvising that evening. This past week, as an example, featured an astonishingly great pianist from Argentina, flautist from Mexico, violinist from Sweden, violist from New York, as well as two multi instrumentalists from the City. And then there is, of course, the percussionist Andrew Drury himself. The level of playing is shockingly creative. We are living in the midst of a musical renaissance with Soup & Sound the perfect venue to experience it. Peter Pohly, New York

 

“Perhaps the most important thing going on in this music right now is artist-driven efforts such as Soup & Sound. Sustained commitment to the local, blended with an international reach and significance, make the venue, and the work within, something special.

“Soup & Sound is my favorite place to work in the city, for a range of reasons: the intimacy afforded the listener, the proximity and direct contact between performer and listener, grounds and informs the work in a powerful fashion. Understand that the relational is key to making this music, in the ensemble and through the way that we rely upon the care of the listener who holds our work as it unfolds. The scale of Soup & Sound – a wonderful house concert setting–and the loving care that Andrew Drury takes, evidenced in his day-long preparation of homemade soups leading up to each concert–make for a singular and deeply transformative experience for everyone in the room.

“Soup & Sound is part of a rising grassroots movement grounded in cultural localvorism that may just be the key to the health and vitality of the music, moving ahead.” Stephen Haynes, Connecticut

 

“I assumed that NYC’s legendary loft scene had evaporated long before I moved to the area. But the next iteration lives on with the Soup & Sound Series. Musicians from around the globe paired with the best of NYC’s contemporary free/improv scene. In my experience the shows—no matter how promising the line-up—are always better than anticipated. Plus, soup!”   Mike Faloon, upstate New York

 

“Regarding Soup & Sound, I think what you’re doing is important on many levels so I want to support this effort. It’s very unusual to open one’s home to strangers in this time of paranoia and suspicion – that you do so regularly is such an act of faith in the essential goodness of people that it’s inspiring. And, I dare say, a bit of an antidote to the prevailing culture. Of course your faith is founded on the message in your music, which is also a sort of antidote. But there is a kind of underlying message in Soup & Sound that, “if you dig my music, then it’s okay to let you in my house”. I appreciate the confidence of that premise, because it communicates a belief in what you are doing artistically, a belief that is perhaps necessary in order to persevere against cultural trends. And then what happens at the performances is an instant community experience – a shared reality that is creative and open. Both you are your wife were so welcoming to a couple of strangers from Maine, it warmed our hearts for days after. Thank you, sir, for the audacity to go for it, the whole enchilada.” James Wright, Maine