www.montereycountynow.com MAY 29-JUNE 4, 2025 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 31 MUSIC The Bowerbird Collective first performed locally in 2022 at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel. This resulted in an invitation to return in May 2024 for the first-ever concert presented by the Carmel Bach Festival outside of its traditional summer program. Now the group is coming to Carmel for the third time to perform Where Song Began, an award-winning cinematic concert as an ode to singing birds, telling the story of songbird evolution with compositions spanning 300 years. This 50-minute-long musical experience comes with evocative visual projections and an immersive soundscape, including pieces by Bach, Arvo Pärt, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Ross Edwards, David Lang and Australian composers. The Bowerbird Collective was co-founded by Australian classical musicians Simone Slattery and Anthony Albrecht. Both musicians have lifelong connections to Carmel. Slattery was born in San Francisco, and visited the Big Sur coast many times as a child. Albrecht’s father, environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht, took study leave in the U.S. when Anthony was 5, and the family spent three weeks in the Carmel Highlands with friends. The light, birds, sounds and smell of the Carmel coastline are one of Albrecht’s strongest childhood memories and he says that he loves coming back. A bowerbird, the bird that inspired this nonprofit, is an interesting and artsy creature. Just like the collective’s founders, it comes from Australia, where they build decorated nests with sticks and brightly colored objects to attract a potential mate. Listening to the Bowerbird Collective is equally consequential. Their sound draws from the power of nature—and its beauty. The Sunday concert will be followed by questions and answers to further foster discussions on humans’ environmental impact on the planet. On a scale of millions of years, the rate of species extinction is one species every one to five years. This rate is influenced by periodically occurring mass extinctions. The influence of human civilization has increased the rate, especially in the last few hundred years. Today, according to various estimates, over 5,000 species become extinct per year. The Bowerbird Collective performs 7:30pm Sunday, June 1. Carmel High School, 3600 Ocean Ave., Carmel. $45; $40/seniors, students; $20/pay what you can; $5/ ages 18 and under. 624-1821, bowerbirdcollective.org. ANTHONY ALBRECHT Bird Call With nature and 300 years of music in tow, The Bowerbird Collective returns to Carmel. By Agata Popęda The Bowerbird Collective—Anthony Albrecht and Simone Slattery—are Australian musicians with ties to Monterey County. PHOTO BY CHRIS HARDY DANCE SERIES 2 “MESMERIZING. Makes a viewer want to push the rewind button and take it in all over again!” – SF Chronicle Don’t miss the world premiere of Amy Seiwert’s powerful I Remember Now and Trey McIntyre’s zany, ebullient Wild Sweet Love—set to music by Queen, Mendelssohn, and more. Also on the bill is Michael Smuin’s sweeping, romantic The Eternal Idol and Rex Wheeler’s lively Sinfonietta. Dancing into a theater near you—get tickets now! CARMEL JUNE 7–8 TICKETS: smuinballet.org | 415.912.1899 TWO SHOWS ONLY!
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