The sounds and silences of the Fremont Bridge

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ocal musician Paurl Walsh makes music of his past and present as the Fremont Bridge Composer in Residence.

From the outside, the Fremont Bridge is loud, both metaphorically and physically. The noise, the alarms, the neon-festooned bridge towers.

But that’s from the outside. Inside is a different story.

“Once the bridge is clear of pedestrians and cars, the bells actually stop. And it’s the most silent thing… of all,” Walsh said.

Walsh spent spring and summer perched in the northwest tower (you’ll spot it by the neon Rapunzel). Watching the seasons pass on the water, those silences made their way into a composition that reflects on his near death – and new life – around the bridge.