April Faith-Slaker

April Faith-Slaker is a cellist, composer, and researcher who embraces an interdisciplinary approach to understanding and communicating about human experiences and social policy. Classically trained on cello at the Music Institute of Chicago, April has expanded her musical performance and composition to include a range of styles of music. More recently, she has been experimenting with uses of technology as well as extended techniques, which include using objects to modify the sounds produced by the cello, to create a contemporary aesthetic. She is also a resident musician and composer with Omaha-based movement theater, ætherplough.

April’s fellowship project involves the use of statistical and mathematical methods to convert social data into music soundscapes that serve as an auditory representation of social complexity. With advanced degrees in law, research methods and social policy, she is interested in expanding conversations about social issues beyond the traditional modes of communication and believes that the arts can be used as an alternative lens for approaching these topics, reaching new audiences, and expanding the terms of political discourse.