FREE ONLINE EVENT by KATARSI (Mary Hoang & Rich Lucano)

For five years, Listen Up drew full houses in Sydney, where dozens would gather in the dark each month for a sonic ceremony unlike anything else. Now, the cult experience makes its returns in its online form for the first time since 2022, allowing people to access it from all around the world.

LISTEN UP: SOUND JOURNEY invites you to lie down, tune out of the world, and drop into a contemporary soundbath — not with singing bowls or whale sounds, but with an evocative score of ambient, soundtrack and film soundscapes, coupled with guided voice. Created by KATARSI (Founder of The Indigo Project Mary Hoang and composer Rich Lucano), Listen Up has been the subject of two separate seven-year research studies (with music psychology researcher Dr Amanda Krause) proving its capacity to open the heart, transform emotions, and bring about a state of cathartic release.

The enormous research project explained the magic alchemy of these sonic ceremonies; proving that actively listening to music in this format iis a form of enduring catharsis.

Some call it “church for non-believers.” Others, “a trip without the tabs.” For newcomers, expect a modern-day sonic ritual: headphones on, lights down.

It's an invitation to surrender into sound - and yourself.

“Participating in Listen Up could bring about feelings of transcendence and transformation.”

- Musica Scientae

“Listen Up takes people by surprise with its emotional effects”
- The Sydney Morning Herald

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
- A quiet, private space
- Pillows for comfort and tissues (just in case)
- A pair of headphones
- A computer / laptop

Please note: This experience may not function solely on a mobile device and a computer is necessary.

FREE WITH REGISTRATION
Presented by Katarsi & The Indigo Project

ATTUNE: A free digital festival.
Exploring progressive approaches to mental health through sound, somatics & ideas. See the full program here.

About Mary Hoang
Mary Hoang is the founder of The Indigo Project and Attune Festival, a published author (Darkness Is Golden), and an experience designer working where sound, somatics, and psychology meet. Her practice centres on deep listening as a catalyst for catharsis and transformation. Across seven years, Mary’s Listen Up sound journeys have undergone formal study, culminating in two peer-reviewed research projects by the University of Melbourne and James Cook University, evidencing the emotional and wellbeing impacts of her approach.

Mary creates moving installations and immersive performances that invite audiences into liminal spaces—moments outside ordinary time—where release and renewal can occur. Her work has been commissioned and presented with and for the Sydney Opera House, Art Gallery of NSW, Vivid, and she has worked with Spotify, Facebook, Red Bull Academy, and Sony. An in-demand speaker and artist, Mary builds contemporary rites of passage that translate psychological insight into embodied, communal experiences.

About Rich Lucano
Rich Lucano is Director of Strategy at The Indigo Project and a composer for film. As Phondupe, his immersive sound occupies the space between ambient, experimental and electronica — layering hypnotic pacing and cinematic sonics into kaleidoscopic soundscapes.

Following the acclaimed TORSO (2024), a visceral album of meditative piano works, Phondupe returns in 2025 with Air Conditioning Vol. 2, a collection of long-form ambient compositions.

His recent live show debuted supporting electronic pioneers Tangerine Dream at City Recital Hall. Phondupe’s journey has taken him from the Sydney Opera House to Dimensions Festival (Croatia), with support slots for Jon Hopkins, Kiasmos, and Maribou State, and a 360-degree installation of his ambient piece AMA at Vivid Sydney 2023.

--

This event takes place on Gadigal land. The Indigo Project acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First People and Traditional Custodians. We value their cultures, identities, and continuing connection to country, waters, kin and community. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging and are committed to making a positive contribution to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, by providing services that are welcoming, safe, culturally appropriate and inclusive.

Contact the host of LISTEN UP: SOUND JOURNEY | Contemporary Soundbath | ATTUNE Festival