Voices from the Hill leads visitors through wild and distressed sections of the hillside, and culminates in a regenerated area, highlighting a vision for the future in which a protected Elephant Hill becomes a welcoming place for humans, birds and other wildlife to coexist.

Following a meandering path across the hillside, visitors will be invited to consider their connections to place, nature, and each other. Six stopping points will showcase song, percussion, and visual art, tying together the narrative themes of the performance: Heed the Call, Struggle, Devastation, Crossroads, Contemplation, and Regeneration. Performers stationed along the path will share music written by Guillermo Brown, with libretto written by LA Poet Laureate Luis Rodriguez. Interactive installations by Raul Baltazar and Maria Maea which incorporate natural materials from the hill will serve as resting points along the way. Cresting the hill, a percussion ensemble will use instruments created from detritus collected from the site and surroundings to beckon visitors to the final regenerated space.

Note: This event has uneven walking paths and, at times, steep climbs that may be difficult for some participants.
https://synchromy.org/urban-birds-2024

This final event of Urban Birds 2024 takes place at Arlington Gardens, and celebrates the role of collective action in transforming neglected urban spaces like Elephant Hill. Once a desolate lot and former staging ground for the 710 freeway, Pasadena community members worked to transform the future site of Arlington Gardens into the community gathering space and host for native flora and fauna that it is today.

Visitors on May 18 will have an opportunity to hear and see variations on the music, artwork, and ideas represented on Elephant Hill, view a film of the May 11 event, as well as to participate in related activities for all ages.

Guillermo Brown will be performing an improvisational soundtrack of live loop-based music inspired by his Voices from the Hill composition, incorporating percussion from the instruments he created sourced from found objects, and recordings from the site over time.

Families will be invited to make their own musical instruments from found objects and natural materials, incorporating seeds and other items gathered from Elephant Hill. Other workshops include palm frond weaving with Maria Maea, planting milkweed with the California Native Plant Society, Indigenous based arts and culture with Meztli Projects, and more.

FREE Reservations: https://synchromy.org/urban-birds-2024/