WHAT IS THE CULTURAL ECOLOGIES SERIES?
Unheard-of Ensemble, in collaboration with the Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club, features world premieres and cutting edge music by artists exploring climate change, race, technology’s impact on our mental health, and feminism presented in a setting that brings people closer together in an open and adventurous way. For our 2nd Cultural Ecologies season, we are presenting three performances and the opening of a site-specific Gowanus soundwalk.
These free performances will take place at the Gowanus Dredgers Bunker as well as their paddle-in movie location (both ADA accessible). The audience will be able to attend the performance either via canoe (reserved in advance via donation to the Dredgers), sitting on one of the Dredgers’ new docks, or on shore via an accessible location. Each performance opens with a talk given by members of the Dredgers about their work in the Canal.
Cultural Ecologies Series 2026: Unheard-of and the Gowanus Dredgers present Discocactus
Dredgers Bunker, 2 19th Street, NY 11232
Date and Time: May 23, 2026, 7PM Canoe Launch, 7:30PM Music
Join Unheard-of Ensemble, the Dredgers, and special guests video game jazz-funk ensemble Discocactus to open the season! Unheard-of opens the show with new premieres written for them by Annika Socolofsky and Discocactus's own keyboardist Ben Wallace. Unheard-of also performs new video game music arrangements from Ben and Unheard-of's violinist Matheus Souza. Discocactus closes out the night performing some of their hits joined by members of Unheard-of!
Cultural Ecologies Series 2026: Pop-Up 1: Ebb and Flow
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse 165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
Date and Time: June 27, 2026, 8PM performance
Our clarinetist Ford and music technologist/composer Brian Ellis are presenting a site-specific pop-up on June 27th 8PM at the 2nd Street Dock performed from canoes, tracing the flow of the Gowanus Canal from the Flushing Tunnel to the 2nd Street Boathouse. This opening pop-up titled Ebb and Flow is a limited seat event that is the first of smaller pop-up experiences bringing people together for on the water musical journeys. Iva will present a short set for the opening night.
TICKET RSVP OR RESERVE YOUR CANOE SEAT HERE
Cultural Ecologies Series 2026: Unheard-of and the Gowanus Dredgers present Ginita y La Orquesta Esa
Dredgers Bunker, 2 19th Street, NY 11232
Date and Time: August 8, 2026, 7:30 PM Canoe Launch, 7:45 PM Music
On August 8th, Unheard-of presents a new premiere for the ensemble, electronics, and video by David Bird, composer, producer, and multimedia artist praised for his “inventive, mind-expanding electroacoustic soundscapes” (An Earful). Unheard-of is joined by special guest band Ginita y La Orquesta Esa for a closing set of latin Jazz tunes from the group’s latest self-titled album!
TICKET RSVP OR RESERVE YOUR CANOE SEAT HERE
Cultural Ecologies Series 2026: Unheard-of and the Gowanus Dredgers present Mehrnam Rastegari Trio
Dredgers Bunker, 2 19th Street, NY 11232
Date and Time: September 19, 2026, 6:30PM Canoe Launch, 7PM Music
On September 19th, Unheard-of presents a new expansive electroacoustic commission by Matt McBane exploring underwater topographies in acoustic and synth forms paired with a set by Mehrnam Rastegari and her trio. Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, award-winning film score composer, and master Kamancheh player bringing Persian music in new directions with inflections of rock, jazz, and modern fusion.
TICKET RSVP OR RESERVE YOUR CANOE SEAT HERE
THIS PROGRAM IS SUPPORTED, IN PART, BY PUBLIC FUNDS FROM THE NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY COUNCIL.
Unheard-of’s performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Unheard-of Ensemble is a recipient of a 2026 Chamber Music America Artistic Projects grant for our Cultural Ecologies series New Pathways Initiative. The Artistic Projects program is administered by Chamber Music America and made possible with funding from the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Unheard-of’s 2025-2026 season is supported in part by a New Music USA Organization Fund grant.
