DROP-IN FOR LIVE VIOLA, CELLO, and KEYBOARD MUSIC

Every Wednesday, join us in the historic Carnegie Library for At the Hearth, a drop-in program held from 5:00-6:00 p.m. during the museum’s Pay What You Wish hour. Hosted by Cooper Hewitt curators, educators, conservators, and librarians, come sit by the fireplace for intimate conversations and fresh perspectives from makers, designers, thinkers, and writers deeply engaged in design.

During this At the Hearth, hear live music from Rachel Feldhaus (viola), ROHANA (cello), and Warner Meadows (keyboard and electronics). The trio will improvise with their instruments responding to the afternoon and space with their distinct styles of classical, folk, jazz, and experimental music. A warm welcome will be provided by Alexandra Hodkowski, Curator of Public Programs at Cooper Hewitt.

Pull up a seat and listen! 

HOSTs 

Rachel Feldhaus is a Filipino-American multi-instrumentalist and composer from West Virginia, working primarily on violin and viola, as well as piano and guitar. Her practice moves between classical, folk, and ambient music, encompassing performance, film composition, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She is a founding member of Brooklyn Chamber Players and previously worked as an associate artist manager at Intermusica, representing an international roster of musicians. Her current project draws on field recordings collected across the Philippines, exploring identity through sonic landscapes, ancestry, cultural memory, and belonging.

Portrait of person in brown dress with cello.

ROHANA began her career as a classically trained cellist, with a deep respect for the discipline, technical skill, and immersion inherent to the practice. In recent years, her work and collaborations have pivoted towards a more experimental and deconstructed sound, integrating elements of the South Asian musical traditions that she grew up with. She is a resident artist on the SILLAGE label, and plays in a collaborative ensemble with fellow residents 8ULENTINA and NANA XOXO. Her solo performances explore themes of shifting identity, transference, states of mind, and the cyclical nature of time. She utilizes her training in Carnatic music, as well as principles of distortion, obfuscation, and world building; inviting the audience not only to witness the sound, but enter into it.

Portrait of person in orange shirt in front of a body of water.

Warner Meadows is a pianist, interdisciplinary artist, improviser, composer and educator from Harlem, New York. His practice spans sound, sculpture, and score, exploring afrodiasporic cultural retention and the dynamics of black interiority. He started playing piano as a young child and cites it as the nucleus of creativity for the majority of his artistic explorations. Meadows graduated this spring from Brooklyn College with an MFA in Sonic Arts.

Accessibility & What to Expect: 

  • Format: Visitors will have the chance to hear live music, including time to ask questions and engage with other participants. The program offers standing room and chairs for those who would like to sit.
  • About the space: This program will take place in Cooper Hewitt’s Carnegie Library on the first floor of the museum. It is fully wheelchair accessible. There is an accessible restroom on the Ground floor. Read more about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt. 
  • Accommodations: We welcome questions and accommodation requests that support your participation. Please email us at CHEducation@si.edu or call 212.849.8400. Please make your accommodation request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least one week before the program date when possible.