5 Things to Know About Caroline Shaw’s Dumbarton Oaks Piece

Shaw wrote Plan & Elevation as the inaugural music fellow at Dumbarton Oaks in 2014–15. The piece is a musical walk through the estate’s grounds.

Each section of the piece corresponds to a different part of the landscape. Shaw based the music on her own experience of walking through the estate.

The work is structured like a tour, not a traditional symphony. Listeners move through distinct musical scenes tied to specific locations.

Shaw’s approach treats the estate as a living score. She translated physical spaces into sound rather than writing abstract music.

The piece remains a rare example of a composer directly mapping a garden’s layout into musical form. It captures a specific time and place through sound.