![\"Oakland](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Oakland_Artists_Collective.jpg\")
<\/p>\n‘Pulse & Pixels’ brings music, technology and visual design together in innovative collaboration<\/p>\n
A new interdisciplinary performance this spring will bring together music, technology and digital art in a concert experience led by Oakland University\u2019s School of Music, Theatre and Dance (SMTD).<\/p>\n
\u201cPulse & Pixels,\u201d presented by the Oakland Artists Collective (OAC), will take place at 7:30 p.m. April 8 at the Pontiac Little Art Theatre in Pontiac, Mich. The event pairs electroacoustic music performed by SMTD faculty and students with digital visual design created by students in the Department of Art, Art History and Design.<\/p>\n
Directed by Justin Lamb, visiting assistant professor of music in SMTD, the concert is the inaugural project of the Oakland Artists Collective (OAC), supported by an OU Cultural Ambassador Faculty Grant (CAF Grant).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Oakland Artists Collective<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea behind the Oakland Artists Collective is bringing different disciplines together and exploring new performance spaces,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cIt\u2019s about creating opportunities for students to collaborate across fields.\u201d<\/p>\n
For \u201cPulse & Pixels,\u201d electroacoustic music, blending acoustic instruments with electronic sound, is paired with custom digital projections, creating an immersive experience for audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you combine music with visual projections, it becomes a much more immersive sensory experience,\u201d Lamb said.<\/p>\n
Amanda Ross, an SMTD faculty member, said the collaboration can fundamentally reshape how audiences interpret the work.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen art forms combine, they can completely change the meaning of a piece,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt creates possibilities that wouldn\u2019t exist otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Visuals for the performance are designed by Assistant Professor Jonathan Cooper in collaboration with Ava Guest and August Wicker, who developed projections in response to the music.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think one of the most surprising things has been how experimental the music is,\u201d Guest said. \u201cInstead of portraying something literal, I\u2019m creating visuals based on how the music feels.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program features works performed by Amanda Ross, Justin Lamb, Josh Tomlinson, Alex Sellers and Ben MacDonald, alongside student collaborators Brandon Lemke, Nate Iott and Donovan Marlin.<\/p>\n
Students involved in the project represent multiple disciplines, contributing both artistically and behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unlike anything I\u2019ve worked on before,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cWe\u2019re working more as a team of equals rather than in a traditional professor-student dynamic.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project also mirrors professional creative environments, where artists often collaborate across disciplines with limited rehearsal time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen another artistic mind is added, it changes the piece into something new,\u201d Ross said. \u201cThat\u2019s a really exciting place to be creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n
By presenting the performance at the Pontiac Little Art Theatre, the Oakland Artists Collective (OAC) expands Oakland University\u2019s presence in the community and connects students with new audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving visual and music presented together is an engaging experience on multiple levels,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIt\u2019s a unique and enriching experience for audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n
Future projects may include collaborations across additional disciplines such as dance and film.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d Lamb said. \u201cThe long-term vision is to create a flexible platform for new types of performances.\u201d<\/p>\n
The performance will run approximately one hour and feature digital projections integrated with live music. Snacks and beverages will be available for purchase.<\/p>\n
Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to reserve a $0 ticket via eTix <\/a>to guarantee entry. For more information, visit https:\/\/calendar.oakland.edu\/smtd\/event\/21596-pulse-pixels-presented-by-oakland-arts<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"‘Pulse & Pixels’ brings music, technology and visual design together in innovative collaboration A new interdisciplinary performance this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7291,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[143,145,144],"class_list":["post-237710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237710\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}