First hatched at Berlin's Volksbühne (in its famed Roter Salon), Mercury Soul brings together club-goers, symphony patrons, and other curious musical minds. Forget flipping through an endless program book in the restrictive seating of a concert hall. The audience at a Mercury Soul event is given the same freedom to roam as at a rock show, with the program notes projected onto the walls alongside art installations. In between DJ sets combining trip hop, techno, and house, symphony musicians appear scattered around the space, performing music from 20th Century heavyweights from Steve Reich to Ligeti. Subtly shifting lighting and electro-acoustic interludes that fuse sinfonietta and electronica compel the crowd from one musical space to another.

GetWize: Featured performers for this years event include Mason Bates (AKA - DJ Masonic), Anne Peterson (a visual designer who is responsible for crazy stuff like this) and the resident conductor for the San Francisco Symphony, Maestro Benjamin Shwartz. Get more info about Mercury Soul at mercurysoul.org. Last year's performance sold out early (1400 people) so buy your pre-sale tickets here.