Five Things to Experience at Fusebox Festival

The Illustrious Blacks

Beethoven in Virtual Reality: Fidelio

Sure, Austin Opera will be presenting their own full production of Beethoven's only opera, Fidelio, near the end of April; but here they've partnered with Washington National Opera and TimeLooper Inc. to bring you a virtual reality version of highlights featuring two of opera's biggest American stars, Tamara Wilson and Russell Thomas, who will lead you on "a fifteen-minute exploratory journey towards freedom." You'll be there, virtually face to face with the performers, surrounded by the stunning 360-degree sounds of the orchestra, immersed in an experience directed by Francesca Zambello and conducted by Evan Rogister.

April 13-17. Wed.-Thu., 4-8pm; Fri.-Sun., 1-5pm. dadaLab, 2824 Real

The Illustrious Blacks: Beyond the Stardust

This New York-based Afrofuturistic duo fuses performance art, live music, fashion, and nightclub-culture panache to reveal a disco/funk/electro music utopia right in front of your eyes and ears. "Monstah Black & Manchildblack are your pilots on the mission to inspire vibrational ascension," boasts the promo copy, and we can't imagine a big ol' jet airliner (or any other substance) getting an audience much higher.

Fri., April 15, 10pm. Distribution Hall, 1500 E. Fourth

The “It’s NOT” Fair

Not like you need another excuse to check out Fusebox's lively festival hub, but here Michael Anthony Garcia has curated up a playful take on the idea of art fairs and booths, representing eight of the important galleries and collectives in our graphically fierce city. Presented as a sci-fi alien menagerie collection of artworks that embody the essence of each venue, this show of shows features installations from Big Medium, Black Mountain Project, Co-Lab Projects, grayDUCK Gallery, ICOSA, Ivester Contemporary, MASS Gallery, and the Museum of Human Achievement.

Thu.-Sat., April 14-16, 9pm-1am. Distribution Hall, 1500 E. Fourth

High Winds

In which writer Sylvan Oswald and director Ellie Heyman present a performance text about a trans man whose insomnia sparks a fantastical search for his estranged half-brother through hallucinatory desert landscapes, exploring a realm of fear, fantasy, masculinity, and what lies deep inside America. How to best evoke such landscapes while the spoken words work their magic on your prefrontal lobes? Lighting design by Sarah Lurie, video by Katherine Freer, and an electro-acoustic score by JJJJJerome Ellis will more than take care of that.

April 15-16. Fri., 8pm; Sat., 3pm. Ground Floor Theatre, 979 Springdale #122

MXTX: A Cross-Border Exchange

This concert, this project, this incredible musical phenomenon is built upon an open-source audio sample library gathered over months and months by 40 artists from both sides of the Rio Grande. And now, as directed by Golden Hornet's Graham Reynolds, the Projecto's Coka Treviño, Peligrosa's Orión García, and Felipe Pérez Santiago of the SETI Institute, the audio experts (both DJs/producers and classically trained composers) have deconstructed, reconstructed, and reenvisioned the samples – along with parts composed and arranged for chamber ensemble and electronics. These collaborations feature mixed and matched beats, drops, loops, melodic fragments, and soundscapes, along with live and acoustic instrumentation. And, yeah, you definitely don't want to miss this thing going down live and in person in Waterloo Park.

Sat., April 16, 7pm. Moody Amphitheater, 500 E. 12th