Natural Connections Soundbath - Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Natural Connections Soundbath

Natural Connections Soundbath

Performances

Monday, July 21, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. doors; performance 8:30–10 p.m.
Cherry Esplanade

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Ticketed Event

Experience a collaborative soundscape exploring the connections between Brooklyn Botanic Garden and its community.

In a live performance layering field recordings from BBG neighbors and visitors with accordion, sitar, saxophone, guitar, and three-part vocal harmony, composer and 2023 BBG artist in residence Kamala Sankaram and bandmates Drew Fleming and Jeff Hudgins will conjure a space of collective listening and dreaming.

Bring a mat or towel, find a spot on the grass of Cherry Esplanade, lie back, and soak up the multisensory experience. Pop-up bar; no outside food, drink, or chairs permitted. Ages 14 and up.

Get Tickets

Information for Attendees

  • Advance tickets required. This is a contemplative event for ages 14 and up.
  • Enter at 990 Washington Avenue. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. The event takes place on Cherry Esplanade and other areas of the Garden are closed. There is no reentry.
  • Please bring a yoga mat or towel of similar size. It is best to experience the soundbath lying down for the entirety of the event. There will be a small section reserved for wheelchairs and people who require a seat.
  • Please observe all Garden rules, including:
    • Do not lean on or hang objects from trees.
    • No outside food or beverages. (Baby bottles and pocket snacks for individuals with dietary restrictions are allowed.)
    • Please properly dispose of your trash and do not pour liquids or ice on the lawn.

Be Part of the Show!

About the Artist

Woman wearing short-sleeve black dress poses in front of yellow flowers.

Known for her “inventive instrumental colors and tender, snappy vocal writing” (The New York Times) composer and 2023 BBG artist in residence Kamala Sankaram moves freely between the worlds of experimental music and contemporary opera.

Constantly pushing the limits of form, works include Singin’ Sing-in, an app and notation system for nonmusicians to compose and perform music together; The Last Stand, a 10-hour opera created for the trees of Prospect Park; Looking at You, a techno-noir featuring live datamining of the audience and a chorus of 25 singing tablet computers; all decisions will be made by consensus, one of the first live performances over Zoom; and The Parksville Murders, the world’s first virtual reality opera.

Also an accomplished performer, Sankaram has been hailed as “an impassioned soprano with blazing high notes” (Wall Street Journal). She is the leader of Bombay Rickey, an operatic Bollywood surf ensemble whose accolades include two awards for Best Eclectic Album from the Independent Music Awards, the 2018 Mid-Atlantic touring grant, and appearances on WFMU and NPR. She holds a PhD from the New School and is currently a member of the composition faculties at the Mannes College of Music and SUNY Purchase.

Artist website: kamalasankaram.com

Image, top of page: Elizabeth Reina-Longoria