This 24-Hour Performance Art Piece Needs Your Participation

"It was never my direct intention to come here," says Keefer Glenshaw, a seventh-semester cellist majoring in performance. 

Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, "This school always existed as something literally down the road from me," he says. "After becoming more involved with the creative string community through people like [associate professors] Mike Block and Jeremy Harman, it became clear that a common thread in this world was the school. There was no other option."

Glenshaw's latest project—a 24-hour performance art piece called Intention / Desire happening on April 25 and 26 from sunset to sunset—is largely inspired by Berklee and its community. "The fact that there are 6,000 musicians, artists, and creative people within a half-mile radius of me has always been astounding. I wanted to create a piece where I could be a part of everyone’s music and art vision, and put it in the context of my own creation." 

To that effect, Glenshaw is asking audience members to sign up for a time slot to create improvised music with him. Before joining the performance, they will be asked to take a headshot and write down an intention (what they want to give) and a desire (what they want to get). 

This isn't his first day-long project; In 2024, Glenshaw performed Purification Process, a solo piece where he sang a mantra and "made music around it." He was featured in the Boston Globe.

"[Purification Process] was created with the desire to put something I believed in out into the world. With Intention / Desire, I’m hoping to see what people have to say for themselves."

If you're wondering how one prepares for such a feat, Glenshaw says: you don't. "I don’t really think this requires much preparation for the mind and spirit—that will happen how it happens, and requires trust and belief more than anything else." 

When he looks to the future, Glenshaw's inspiration is simple: "I think what inspires me most is that I’ll keep not dying, every day. How glorious. Also, I am constantly inspired by my next meal. I try not to think too far into the future."

He has one last pitch: "To anyone thinking of signing up, [you] should. It’s not going to be hard, or demanding, or high-brow, or anything. Anyone reading this is capable of doing this. I can’t wait to meet all of you."

Intention / Desire, April 25, 2026 at 8 p.m. at the Loft, 921 Boylston Street.