NEXT SHOW ON JANUARY 15th

This special edition of Shibari & Strings pairs Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor with a rare cello transcription of his Solo Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, reimagining the composer’s intricate counterpoint through the visual language of rope and body.

This performance explores the shared artistry between Bach’s musical architecture and the sculptural discipline of Shibari—both grounded in restraint, precision, and release. As solo cellist Justin Kantor weaves melodic voices into harmony, rope artists Mar Like The Sea and Loulou D'vil mirror this interplay in form and tension, creating a living meditation on vulnerability, structure, and transcendence.

The centerpiece of this comparison lies in the Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001. In particular, the colossal Fugue serves as the inspiration for this interpretation. Bach’s genius lies in his ability to weave independent melodic lines into a single, harmonious whole—a feat known as counterpoint. In the Fugue, the cello must evoke multiple voices within a single instrument: subject, answer, and echoing responses.

Justin Kantor approaches this as a sculptural act, imagining each melodic voice as a rope—distinct in tension, texture, and trajectory. The music becomes an audible form of binding, where interwoven harmonies mirror the intricate beauty of Shibari. The emotional power emerges through this delicate balance of tension and release, structure and surrender.

A dialogue between sound and motion, Shibari & Strings invites the audience into a space where music becomes touch, and discipline becomes freedom.

8:45pm Doors. 9:15pm Performance. 1 Drink Minimum per person at tables. 21+ ID Required. All Sales Final.

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About Justin Kantor:

Justin Kantor is a cellist, innovator, and educator whose career bridges the worlds of classical performance and music industry entrepreneurship. A passionate cellist since his conservatory days, Justin has always been drawn to the challenge of transcription, seeking to reimagine beloved works—from Japanese Koto pieces to complex orchestral scores—for the unaccompanied cello. This deep interest resurfaced with intensity during the pandemic, leading him to focus on J.S. Bach's Solo Violin Sonatas and Partitas. For his transcriptions, Justin employs a unique technique: performing the music exactly an octave and a fifth lower. This specific transposition preserves the structural relationships of the violin's open strings while dramatically shifting the music's tone and register, providing a fresh, darker perspective on Bach's masterpieces.

Beyond the cello, Justin is a foundational figure in the independent music industry. He is the co-founder of the seminal Greenwich Village venue, Le Poisson Rouge (LPR), established in 2008. Building on this experience, he went on to found and serve as CEO of VenuePilot, a mission-driven company actively revolutionizing music venue operations by streamlining workflows, disrupting traditional ticketing, and offering innovative financing models.

Shibari & Strings: Interwoven Forms of Bach and the Body

Shibari & Strings: Interwoven Forms of Bach and the Body