New Orleans Airlift is celebrating 10 years of collaboration at the CAC on November 9th!

New Orleans Airlift is an artist-run organization that creates and collaborates alongside the artists they support. Established in 2009, Airlift seeks to inspire wonder, connect communities, and foster opportunities through the creation of experimental public artworks. Most known for its flagship project, the Music Box Village, a permanent installation of “musical architecture” that serves as a one-of-a-kind site for collaboration between New Orleans artists and artists across the world, Airlift has created numerous other projects over the past decade, guided by this same mission.

Alumni artists who have generously shared their time and creativity with New Orleans Airlift and our city are returning to revisit old friends and create new work on a grand scale, inside and outside at the Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans on the evening...

Our monthly supper club under the stars features local talents in concert with the sounds of the Music Box Village, directed by Tif “Teddy” Lamson.

New Orleans Airlift continues its 10th Anniversary season with a series of monthly concerts showcasing the sounds of their flagship project, The Music Box Village.

Join us November 3rd for Twilight Serenade, a special evening where we feature the talents of local musicians in concert with the sounds of the Music Box Village. These one-of-a-kind performances, led by Tif "Teddy" Lamson (GIVERS), highlight the special sonic qualities of the one-of-a-kind art installation.

“Season after season, we’ve found that it’s the local musicians, those who get to return to our Village over time, that produce some of our most magical moments” says Lead Creative Producer, Leah Hennessy, “this series is designed to showcase their work and lead to even deeper engagement.”

This month's cast features...

An album release and special performance orchestrated in the MUSIC BOX VILLAGE!

Music Box Village neighbors and contributors Leyla McCalla and Jimmy Horn (King James and the Special Men) to present a unique portrait of modern day society in a not-so-modern city.

Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla’s third solo record reflects upon life in our current political climate where many of the issues are economic, but rarely simply financial. It’s a compelling new look at life inside the complexities of modern society in a not-so-modern city, bringing all of the celebration and strife that New Orleans embodies into its depiction. McCalla and producer Jimmy Horn (King James and the Special Men) draw influences from across the Louisiana’s musical landscape--jazz, zydeco, R&B, Haitian ra ra--delivering a lively and soulful record that features an array of local talents.

The sounds and sentiments of Capitalist...

A special visit to the Music Box Village by the Brooklyn-based megaband Snarky Puppy!

Snarky Puppy, who has received multiple Grammy awards for Best R&B Performance in 2014, and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album in 2016 and 2017, is a collective with as many as 25 members in regular rotation. They each maintain busy schedules as sidemen with such artists as Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and D’Angelo.

At its core, the band represents the convergence of American music culture with various accents from around the world. Japan, Argentina, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Puerto Rico all have representation in the group’s membership. But more than the cultural diversity of the individual players, the defining characteristic of Snarky Puppy’s music is the joy of performing together in the perpetual push to grow creatively. The Music Box Village is hosting a tour-stop for the band.

From the band’s website:

“Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a...

New Orleans Airlift opens their 4th year in their permanent home and their 2019 Fall season with Italian progressive rock band Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin in their first-ever New Orleans performance, where they will accompany a full screening of director Dario Argento’s 1977 release, Suspiria. This film score masterwork, originally written in just 10 days, gave birth to the defining and evocative horror-synth soundtracks made popular by John Carpenter (Halloween), and carried forth in new shows like the Netflix series Stranger Things. This outdoor performance in the Music Box Village will feature multiple screens and original instruments used in the creation of the soundtrack, in addition to an extended performance by the band. Local space-synth artist Benni (Benny Divine) will...