Bowerbird

Bowerbird is a presenting organization that expands public understanding of experimental music. Since 2006 the organization has produced over 600 events throughout the Philadelphia region, featuring music, dance, film, and related art forms. Center-supported projects include Cage: Beyond Silence (2012), a series of John Cage’s major musical compositions in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Center-funded exhibition Dancing Around the Bride; That Which Is Fundamental, the first multi-concert retrospective of African American composer Julius Eastman’s (1940–90) work; Sound Machines: Kagel's Zwei Mann Orchester, presenting the US premiere of a large-scale sound sculpture conceived by late composer and artist Mauricio Kagel; and Making The Third Ear, delving into the work of pioneering sound artist Maryanne Amacher (1938–2009). A 2019 Discovery grant supports an exploration of the history and artistic legacy of the Shiraz Arts Festival, held annually in Iran from 1967 to 1977, to inform future public programs.