Step into the SoundBeam and be transported. Listen like a ghost — through the walls and ceilings, from the subbasement to the towers, from offices, museums, courtrooms, HVAC rooms, to the cortile. The whole building as orchestra. A stepping stone to Landmark’s sonic treasures.

Listen out for:

Winter Carnival trampoline bouncing

Irish, Colombian, and Big Band dance music

Office machinery (including teakettle, scanner, printers, slicer)

Old bell chimes from the South Tower

Schubert Club instruments: celeste, clavichord, pump organ, glass harmonica, piano, gamelan, Arthur Ferris hybrid string instruments

Phonographs and mechanical music boxes (including a German clock and the famous Elvis shrine)

Historic voices from the community; Veterans for Peace, U.S. Naturalization ceremony

Singers: Rose Ensemble, Minnesota Boy Choir, Sujatha (Tamil poetry)

Air handling system

Woodturners lathe


Handcuffs and radiator; mailbox dials; elevators; bicycle wheels, coat hangers

Rehearsals and piano tuning

How many can you identify?

Composer Philip Blackburn has recorded ambient sounds and musical moments from daily life here and recycled them into imaginary soundscapes. Glimpse a different one each time you enter the Beam. The piece continues live as you go about your visit and experience your own aural mural.


The SoundBeam celebrates Landmark’s spaces of wood and stone, volumes of air, and the people that make them sing. Take a moment and hear here.

Listen to the whole composition.

Take the Quiz.

The Landmark SoundBeam (2016) is installed at the elevator lobby of Landmark Center, 75 West 5th Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102.

Hear Here