Laurie Anderson is preparing a new performance, "Republic of Love," for SummerStage in New York's Central Park on June 26, as part of the City Parks Foundation's 40th-anniversary outdoor concert season. Backed by the jazz group Sexmob, the show blends Anderson's songs with a wide circle of American voices and ideas.
Speaking from Greenwich Village, Anderson described the project as an evolving reflection on freedom, language, and public life. She said the work grew out of a talk she gave in Vienna, then expanded into a performance shaped by thinkers and artists such as Cornel West, Bob Dylan, Gertrude Stein, William Burroughs, Arthur Russell, Pema Chödrön, and Allen Ginsberg.
The set also revisits key pieces from Anderson's catalog, including "Big Science" and "Language Is a Virus," which she says still feel strikingly current. She added that Sexmob's horn-driven sound gives the material a fresh dimension, while a tribute to Arthur Russell brings a quieter, more intimate layer to the performance.
Anderson is also developing a separate work for Tanglewood tied to America's 250th anniversary, choosing to approach the milestone through music and composition rather than direct commentary. For her, the goal is to create something that feels thoughtful, expansive, and forward-looking.
With "Republic of Love," Anderson continues to turn performance into a living conversation between art, history, and the present moment. It points to a future where music remains a powerful space for cultural reflection and reinvention.
