Multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson is debuting the first 13-minute movement of his four-movement solo symphonic work titled “Reach for Tomorrow” at Hunter College’s Lang Recital Hall in Manhattan on Thursday, October 1, 2026. Robinson spent seven years overdubbing over 200 instruments entirely by himself.
Essential Takeaways From Robinson’s Seven-Year Project
- The Event: Robinson will play a recording of the first movement, discuss his process, and field audience questions at Hunter College’s Lang Recital Hall.
- The Scale: The symphony features over 200 instruments—including contrabass saxophones, tarogatos, solovox, and a 9-foot Philippine temple drum—all played by the performer.
- The Timeline: Seven years of daily 45-minute sessions went into completing the opening 13 minutes, with an estimated 20 years or more required to finish the entire four-movement work.
Inside ScienSonic Laboratories and the Birth of a One-Man Symphony
The genesis of this sonic experiment traces back to the late 1990s. Roscoe Mitchell mailed Robinson an overdubbed solo album titled Sound Songs, planting a creative seed. Robinson began wondering what kind of sounds he could create if he layered hundreds of rare woodwind, brass, percussion, and electronic instruments amassed across his career.
For years, physical space limitations kept the project grounded. Living in an apartment where a bass marimba—played by Sun Ra on 1965’s Heliocentric Worlds—was barricaded by instrument cases made large-scale tracking impossible. That changed when ScienSonic Laboratories was completed in 2009 behind his New Jersey house. It took reaching his 60th birthday over seven years ago to finally push Robinson into starting his symphonic work the very next day.
Methodology Behind the Two-Hundred-Instrument Orchestra
Robinson treats his work as an organic, improvisational dialogue with himself. The instrumentation list includes three contrabass saxophones, five tarogatos, sarrusophones, theremins, slide saxophones, contrabass oboes, bass and contrabass banjos, a bass marimba, an electric doorbell organ, tower chimes, and a nine-foot Philippine temple drum.
Every session follows a solitary protocol. Robinson improvises a part and records it. If he likes it, he adds to it; if not, he tries again. Vertical harmonies are constructed by ear without a written score or preliminary planning. Earlier this year, following a lengthy European tour and his 67th birthday, Robinson completed the first movement after dedicating roughly 45 minutes of daily studio time whenever he was home.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Performer | Scott Robinson |
| Debut Date & Location | October 1, 2026, at Lang Recital Hall, Hunter College, Manhattan |
| Instrumentation Count | Over 200 instruments (played entirely solo) |
| Completed Duration | Approx. 13 minutes (First Movement) |
| Estimated Total Timeline | 20 years or more for all four movements |
Bringing the Invisible Orchestra to Manhattan Audiences
The public premiere at Hunter College offers a window into Robinson’s process. Admission to the Lang Recital Hall presentation is free and open to the public. As Robinson continues working on the remaining three movements in his New Jersey laboratory, this 13-minute milestone represents the first movement of his work.
