Commissioned by the Brussels Philharmonic, William Dougherty is composing a new work for orchestra and electric guitar, physically and aurally dissolving, blurring, and reshaping the boundaries between acoustic sounds and electronic noise.

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In his new concerto, Dougherty places the electric guitar as an 'outsider' in the heart of the orchestra. The soloist does not play a traditional leading role, but functions as a catalyst, disrupting and transforming the orchestral sound from within.

In doing so, Dougherty challenges not only the classical division of roles, but also the audience's sonic experience. By driving sound sources – both acoustic and amplified – through the concert hall, the origin of the sound blurs, creating an ambiguous and destabilized listening experience. “I merge guitar harmonics with microtonal strings, play with feedback and saturation, and allow sound to move unpredictably through the space.”