Moondog (1916-1999), born in Kansas under the name of Louis Thomas Hardin, is a singular musical figure. Emerging initially from the jazz music scene, Moondog integrated the classical technique of the counterpoint to his compositions. His friendship with Steve Reich and Philip Glass later established his position as a pioneer of a so-called repetitive minimal music, even if he defended himself against that classification. Blind since the age of 16 as a result of an accident, he immersed himself into music in a specialised establishment where he learned to play the violin, the piano and the organ, leading him to write his first compositions in Braille. His first audience was that of the streets of New York City, and his growing success led him to give stage appearances in many jazz clubs, taking on the name of «The Viking of 6th Avenue». Unclassifiable, his compositions borrow from classical composition while renewing rhythmic processes.

"A classical composer for modern times, his minimalism, his contemporary music were inspired by writing schemes from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He lived through his century from corner to corner, leaving behind a thousand written works for dozens of instruments, from the organ to the computer."
—Amaury Cornut, Le Mot et le Reste, 2014.

The young musicians will interpret works throughout the exhibition space. In addition to two emblematic pieces by the “Viking”, compositions by J. S. Bach and Léo Brouwer will also be performed, from fugue to minimalism.