The Rotunda

Bowerbird and Fire Museum present the duo Zelzeleh of Iranian vocalist Kamyar Arsani (Faraway Ghost) and Indian-born percussionist/producer Ravish Momin (Sunken Cages) with an opening set by Savan DePaul aka Ishtar Sr. Their collaboration combines Persian poetry with Mumbai street rhythms, layered over intricate electronic soundscapes. Arsani’s mastery of Persian classical modes (dastgahs) and his evocative…

Bowerbird is pleased to present Nathan Davis in a solo performance at The Rotunda. Finding narrative in natural processes and acoustic phenomena, Nathan Davis’s solo work elucidates essential characters of instruments and objects. This concert presents his recent work with the bowed psaltery alongside pieces for river stones and amplified computer, supported by and immersive…

Bowerbird is pleased to present Philadelphia favorites Alash at The Rotunda for a FREE concert. Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. Masters of traditional Tuvan instruments as well as the art of throat singing, Alash are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music…

Bowerbird is pleased to present a special screening of Guns of the Trees by filmmaker Jonas Mekas and original musical score by Lucia Dlugoszewski. Jonas Mekas’s first feature—which he wrote, produced, directed, co-photographed and edited—is an entrancing snapshot of the counterculture in the early 1960s and a work of beatnik existentialism concerning the fine line…

*Please note: The performance starts at 8:00pm. Those who reserved tickets will be able to enter at 7:30pm with seating on a first come first served basis; then standing room only. After 8pm, those without reserved tickets may enter depending on capacity*   We are thrilled to welcome back Laraaji, a key figure in the…

Bowerbird is delighted to present a special screening of Lotte Reiniger's pioneering animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed. When The Adventures of Prince Achmed premiered in Germany on September 23, 1926, it was hailed as the first full-length animated film. More than seventy-five years later, this enchanting film still stands as one of the great…

Bowerbird is pleased to present Moondog on the Keys, a concert featuring piano works by the maverick composer Moondog performed by trimbist Julian Calv, pianist Alex Stewart, and vocalist/percussionist Sarah Penna. Moondog aka Louis Hardin composed music creating an unexpected link between the resurgent science of counterpoint, Arapaho, Navajo, Blackfoot, and Sioux rhythms and song…

Bowerbird is pleased to present a concert of works from Gene Coleman's recent album Exploratorium and solo performance by Toshimaru Nakamura. PROGRAM KATA (2021) film version of the work Ensemble N_JP Sansuzu Tsuruzawa (voice and shamisen) Akikazu Nakamura (shakuhachi) Adam Vidiksis (percussion and electronics) Ko Ishikawa (sho) Naoko Kikuchi (koto) Nick Millevoi (e-guitar) Hemmi String…

Bowerbird is pleased to present a special screening of John Cage Meets Sun Ra: The Complete Concert at The Rotunda. Recorded at Sideshows by the Seashore along the Coney Island boardwalk on June 8th, 1986 as documented by John Polizzi under the commission of event producers Rick Russo and Bronwyn Rucker. From Pitchfork: "John Cage…

Bowerbird is pleased to present LA-based musician and artist claire rousay at The Rotunda with opening set by Apologist. claire rousay, known for challenging conventions in experimental and ambient music forms, recently released a new album in early 2024. A meditation on loneliness, her new album is her most audacious work yet, synthesizing disparate and…

Bowerbird is pleased to present the Music of Moondog performed by the Arcana New Music Ensemble. Louis Thomas Hardin, Jr., better known as Moondog, is one of the most famous and influential outsider musicians of the twentieth century. Born in Kansas to a devoutly religious family, Hardin was blinded at age 16 when he dug…

Bowerbird is pleased to present David Grubbs and Eli Winter playing electric guitar duets at The Rotunda. ABOUT THE ARTISTS David Grubbs is Professor of Music at Brooklyn College and The Graduate Center, CUNY. At Brooklyn College he also teaches in the MFA programs in Performance and Interactive Media Arts (PIMA) and Creative Writing. He…

Photo: Katharina Hauke Bowerbird is pleased to present Berlin-based British music maker Kaffe Matthews at The Rotunda with opening set by Spectral Forces.   ABOUT THE ARTIST Kaffe Matthews is a pioneering music maker who works live with space, data, things, and place to make new electroacoustic composition. Site, accessibility and the physical experience of…

Bowerbird is pleased to present Philadelphia favorites Alash at The Rotunda for a FREE concert. Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömei), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. Masters of traditional Tuvan instruments as well as the art of throat singing, Alash are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music…

Bowerbird is pleased to present a portrait concert of composer Sarah Hennies performed by the Arcana New Music Ensemble with the composer. PROGRAM Passing, a short film Monologue, for solo trumpet Tessa Ellis, trumpet Settle, for two players on one vibraphone Sarah Hennies and Andy Thierauf, vibraphone Abscission, for violin, cello, and guitar Carlos Santiago,…

Bowerbird is pleased to present two solo performances by Natacha Diels and Levi Lu at The Rotunda.   ABOUT THE ARTISTS Natacha Diels’ work combines choreographed movement, improvisation, video, instrumental practice, and cynical play to create worlds of curiosity and unease. Recent work includes Papillon and the Dancing Cranes, for construction cranes and giant butterfly…

Bowerbird is pleased to present The Lepidopterans: Tom Boram (Synthesizer, Sitar), Jason Willett (Electronics), and Toshi Makihara (Percussion), at The Rotunda with an opening set by Anne Ishii.   ABOUT THE ARTISTS Tom Boram and Jason Willett have been playing together for almost 25 years as 'Leprechaun Catering." The Baltimore-based duo makes improvised music from…

Bowerbird is pleased to present interdisciplinary artist eddy kwon and the Philadelphia-based trio Totally Automatic at The Rotunda. ABOUT THE ARTIST eddy kwon (b. 1989) is violinist/violist and interdisciplinary artist based in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY). Her practice connects composition, performance, improvisation, dance, and ceremony to explore transformation & transgression, ritual practice as a tool to…