2019 Season

Bernhard Wöstheinrich w/Ombient - 13 April 2019 Bernhard Wöstheinrich speaks in his own musical voice. Providing a unique perspective in his increasingly frequent collaborations with a range of noted international artists, Wöstheinrich has quietly been playing with and influencing some of our community's most interesting talents. The musical arc of his work often moves from the curiously beautiful to the beautifully curious. Fully formed and thoughtful energetic songs are driven by a firm pulse amidst simultaneously sounding musical lines. With harmonies trailing behind melodies these shimmering works disintegrate into swirling unanchored abstractions of sustained tonal ambiance. An intriguing listening experience, the music of Bernhard Wöstheinrich benefits from great conceptualization, arranging and musicianship. Together with local Electronic Musician Ombient (Mike Hunter) this duo pulls off their collaborations with startling brilliance. Exploring murky and illusory aural territory, Worms of the Earth provided an opening set. Bernhard Wöstheinrich w/Ombient (plus Worms of the Earth opening) performed at The Gatherings Concert Series on 13 April 2019. Thanks to everyone who attended! Concert Videos

Skoulaman - 18 May 2019 Skoulaman's excellent music is realized in real time live, and exhibits Hans van Kroonenburg's talent for working in the heat of a fleeting moment. By concentrating on live concerts he perfected his skills in performance techniques and the musical journey. With its arching melodies and well-developed narrative element his concerts provide a pleasurable, low-wattage drift through an electronic sensory consonance. By using a range of vintage and modern analog style synthesizers, Skoulaman accesses immediate command over all layers and aspects of the music - as it is happening. Possessing a freewheeling immediacy this metrical music speaks to us in the voice of an old friend. Local Electronic Spacemusician Staer provided an opening set Skoulaman (plus Staer opening) performed at The Gatherings Concert Series on 18 May 2019. Many Thanks to Everyone Attending! Concert Videos

Modular Church - 19 October 2019 Datadrift, Huron, Sandy James, Jerry Kaba, Powserati, Snoozer and 5ToK3 Modular Synthesizers were the first commercial synthesizers. Eventually supplanted by portable, internally hardwired models, and digital devices, they have made a big come-back. The basic point of Modular Synthesizers is that the musician decides everything. Each module is a discrete part chosen and arranged according to the taste of the individual. Filters, oscillators, mixers, ring modulators, envelopes, and other more esoteric pieces provide an unprecedented flexibility in sound design and music making. Modular Synthesizers are systems that are not fixed in the way conventional instruments are, and attract an interesting mix of musicians and technologists. Curated and hosted by Chaka Benson, Modular Church will feature seven innovative musicians (each performing a 15 minute set) from out of the burgeoning Modular Synthesizer community - as well as present live video projections by Neil Cippon and Television Sky. Thanks to all those who attended this unique presentation of Electronic Music. The Gatherings Concert Series presented Modular Church on 19 October 2019. Concert Videos

Hotel Neon plus Guitar Pilots (co-headline) - 16 November 2019 FREE ADMISSION (donations were appreciated!) Hotel Neon is the ambient drone-guitar/synth trio consisting of Michael Tasselmyer, Andrew Tasselmyer and Steven Kemner. Their music is characterized by blissed-out, gently moving forms and slowly evolving atmospheres. In understated works for processed electric guitars and droning synths they entice the audience into a dreamy, wordless state. Emphasizing texture and mood, Hotel Neon provides an open-ended sonic environment meant for optimal being. As contrasts in sound reach the mind's eye through the body's ears, the movement of mood from dark to light stirs the listener's soul. Guitar Pilots is the spacemusic duo featuring guitarists Art Cohen and Harrison McKay. Their music features lengthy structured improvisational pieces which transport the listener to the depths of space, all the while focusing on each precious unfolding moment. Cohen's sequencer-like echoing guitar figures provide rhythmic propulsion, while McKay's breathing chords and sub-octave rumblings build a foundation for both musicians to rise in melodic flights. Singing glissando blends seamlessly with plucks, twangs and blasts of an interstellar beam. Following the trail blazed by Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, and the Berlin School, Guitar Pilots carve out their own unique sonic territory that is both organic as the ground underneath and as far-reaching as a distant pulsar. Local Electronic duo Alesi & Sieber provided an opening set Hotel Neon and Guitar Pilots returned as co-headliners to The Gatherings Concert Series on 16 November 2019 for a Free Admission event. Local Electronic duo Alesi & Sieber provided an opening set. Thanks to everyone who attended this special event! Concert Videos

The Gatherings Concert Series is presented by the all-volunteer staff of The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania

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2018 SEASON