Alumni Caroline Jesalva ‘23 and Katinka Kleijn ‘95 GD Premiere Eclipsed Bodies at the International Museum of Surgical Science
On March 14 and 16, 2025, violinist-vocalist Caroline Jesalva ‘23 and renowned cellist Katinka Kleijn ‘95 GD presented Eclipsed Bodies at the International Museum of Surgical Science. This interdisciplinary performance blends experimental sound, devised theater, and post-structuralist explorations of female identity, set within a space dedicated to the human body.
Caroiline, a boundary-pushing performer and composer, draws from Dada, glossolalia, and free improvisation. She co-founded Subject to Change, a commissioning project for gender-diverse composers, and directs Music in the Garden, a Chicago concert series for experimental artists. Katinka, praised by The New York Times as
“a player of formidable expressive gifts,”
is known for radical cello performances, including Intelligence in the Human-Machine, a duet between her cello and her brainwaves. A member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and International Contemporary Ensemble, she continuously redefines the cello’s role in sound and performance art.
Set against the backdrop of a medical museum, Eclipsed Bodies challenges perceptions of the female form through improvisation, extended techniques, and theatrical abstraction, offering a visceral exploration of embodiment and transformation.
Congratulations to alumni Katinka Kleijn ‘95 GD and Caroline Jesalva ‘23 on the premiere of Eclipsed Bodies! Their innovative collaboration pushes artistic boundaries, blending music, theater, and identity in a truly groundbreaking performance. We celebrate their creativity and look forward to the impact their work will have on audiences in Chicago and beyond.
