Ribbet, ribbet, creeeeek, hooo, hooo, hooooooo, rattle zzzzzzip, chirp chirp! 

Whether day or night, you’ll hear a symphony of natural sounds at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art with birds chirping, cicadas humming, bullfrogs, owls, a fish splashing, and rushing water from the pond’s dams and Crystal Springs. 

For a deeper dive into art and nature, Crystal Bridges is hosting David Rothenberg, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Music at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, author, composer, and “interspecies musician,” to spend several days (July 25-27) interacting with the natural sounds found at the museum.

What is an “interspecies musician” you might ask? Well, for example, in this video, Rothenberg performs on his clarinet with an insect choir to make bug music:

“Nature is just there, it shows up, but we are not always paying attention, so we don’t actually listen,” David said in a Harvard news interview. “If you listen, you can hear amazing things.” 

Don’t miss David Rothenberg at Crystal Bridges with these fun, free, family-friendly events: 

Nightingales in Berlin, Screening + Performance | Thursday, July 25, 8:30 pm

Have you ever listened closely to a nightingale’s song? In this film, Rothenberg takes us to the urban landscape of Berlin—longtime home to nightingale colonies where the birds sing ever louder in order to be heard—and invites us to listen in on their remarkable collaboration as birds and instruments riff off of each other’s sounds.

David Rothenberg will be present at the screening at Crystal Bridges, and will open up the outdoor film screening with a short and intimate sound performance interacting with nature sounds surrounding the museum. Reserve your free seat here!

David Rothenberg on Nature’s Nation | Friday, July 26, 1 pm 

Come for this walking discussion on art, nature, and music! Join visiting artist and musician David Rothenberg for a musician’s take on several works in the exhibition, Nature’s Nation.

While the talk is free, a ticket to Nature’s Nation is required.

Sounds of the Pond Concert | Friday, July 26, 8 pm 

Enjoy the musical sounds of Crystal Bridges’ pond at dusk accompanied by musician David Rothenberg who will perform on the museum’s pond with the natural ecosystem of bugs, frogs, fish, and birds. Reserve your free seat here!

“Nature as Music” Workshop | Saturday, July 27, 10 am  

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

David Rothenberg invites kids of all ages to join him on an exploration of nature sounds at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History and along Spring Creek nearby, Saturday, July 27, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.

This post was written by Sara Segerlin, Senior Manager, Public Programs and Community Engagement.

[Header photo credit:] Bryan Derballa for The Wall Street Journal