The Cleveland Museum of Art proudly presents the Cleveland premiere of “A Season on the Wind,” a cinematic concert based on author, ornithologist, and conservationist Kenn Kaufman’s book of the same name. This event is an inspiring ode to migratory birds and an unforgettable night of musical storytelling. An artistic journey from the shores of Lake Erie across the Americas, this 50-minute performance stars three internationally acclaimed musicians and features spectacular visuals and soundscapes. Created by the Bowerbird Collective, an award-winning Australia-based organization making art for nature, at the invitation of the Biggest Week in American Birding festival and Kaufman himself, the work highlights a newly commissioned score by the Brothers Balliett (NYC), whose music is praised by the New York Times as “vivid, emotive, with contemporary twists.”

Also included on the program is Rivers Are Our Brothers, a song cycle on ecological responsibility told from the point of view of the land. Commissioned by Musica Sierra and created in partnership with Learning Landscapes, an educational program of the Feather River Land Trust, the songs in the cycle take a first-person view of nature, ascribing human qualities and feelings to elements of the landscape including water, trees, mountains, and rivers. You can stream the cycle on Apple Music, Spotify, or Bandcamp.

Performers
Majel Connery | vocals, keyboard

The Bowerbird Collective:
Simone Slattery | violin, vocals
Anthony Albrecht | cello

Majel Connery is a composer, vocalist, and musicologist combining classical influences with an electronic mentality. Her voice has been called “superb” by the New York Times and her compositions “thoroughly Schubertian” by the Wall Street Journal. An educator working at the intersection of arts and scholarship, she has taught and mounted productions on campuses including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Wellesley, and Princeton. As an advocate of women in music, she hosts the NPR/CapRadio podcast A Music of Their Own. Connery appears regularly as a solo artist making supernatural music about the environment and with her art-rock duo, Sky Creature. Her song cycle The Rivers Are Our Brothers is currently on tour with Grammy-winning ensemble Chanticleer. Connery holds a PhD in musicology from the University of Chicago and an AB in music composition from Princeton.

The Bowerbird Collective makes art for nature. Through innovative live performance, digital engagement, and educational outreach, this inspiring nonprofit seeks to strengthen emotional connections to conservation issues. Australia-based, the Bowerbird Collective tours extensively—with a focus on performing in regional areas—delivers exceptional educational programs to school-age children, and works with national and international conservation organizations. Founded by Simone Slattery (violin, vocals) and Anthony Albrecht (cello) in 2017, the collective has produced more than 250 events across Australia, the UK, and the US. Its concert production Where Song Began was called “spectacular” in a five-star review by Limelight magazine and won a Ruby Award from Arts South Australia. Life on Land’s Edge, created with support from Arts South Australia and the Australia Council for the Arts, received the Independent Arts Foundation Award for Innovation in 2022. The group’s Songs of Disappearance albums of threatened bird, frog, and mammal calls have made it to the top of Australia’s ARIA album charts three times, ahead of Taylor Swift, ABBA, Ed Sheeran, and Adele. The Bowerbird Collective founded and directs the Moonbird Festival, King Island, Tasmania, and the Lyrebird Festival, Megalong Valley, New South Wales, both launched in 2023.

Venue and Ticketing Info

Transformer Station is a cashless venue. A credit card must be used for non-alcoholic, beer, and wine purchases at Transformer Station’s bar. The bar opens one hour prior to showtime and remains open for the duration of the performance.
Tickets to concerts at Transformer Station cannot be purchased at the venue. Purchase tickets on the museum’s website prior to showtime.

Majel Connery and the Bowerbird Collective