Award-winning clarinetist David Rothenberg. Photo courtesy of Myrtle Tree Arts

PLACERVILLE, CA (MPG) – The RIPE AREA project created by Myrtle Tree Arts and American River Conservancy (ARC) will kick off a spring 2024 series of workshops, concerts and pop-ups, including appearances by David Rothenberg, a New York-based clarinetist, field recordist, philosopher, author, publisher and Grammy award-winner. Rothenberg will appear as a guest on the monthly podcast Placertopia Live on March 14 from 4:30-6:00 PM at Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St., Placerville, CA. 

The evening includes a public concert also in the same venue from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Admission for the concert is $5 at the door. Accompanying Rothenberg will be Paul Godwin on keyboards and cellist, John Sellers. On Saturday March 16, from 11:00 -2:00 PM, Rothenberg will present the workshop, Secret Sounds of Wakamatsu Pond, free with pre-registration.

“We’re excited to be kicking off RIPE AREA, an innovative art project dedicated to promoting community engagement around water needs and conservation through the expressive power of the arts. David Rothenberg, a leader in the exploration of natural sounds and music, will be a terrific opener to this series.” said Paul Godwin, co-founder of Myrtle Tree Arts and festival organizer with artistic director and co-founder Ameera Godwin.

Leveraging the expertise of ARC in watershed and natural resource protection, RIPE AREA is a clever word play on “riparian,” meaning the zones near water. This family-friendly project extends ARC’s successful partnership with the local arts collaborative, Myrtle Tree Arts, to provide artistic expression and education for positive change in the community.

About David Rothenberg
Musician and philosopher David Rothenberg wrote Why Birds Sing, Bug Music, Survival of the Beautiful and many other books published in at least eleven languages. He has more than forty published recordings out, including One Dark Night I Left My Silent House, which came out on ECM Records. Most recently, he recorded In the Wake of Memories and Faultlines. Among others, David has performed and recorded with Pauline Oliveros, Peter Gabriel, Ray Phiri, Suzanne Vega, Scanner, Elliott Sharp, Umru, Iva Bittová, and the Karnataka College of Percussion. In 2024, he won a Grammy Award for his work, For the Birds, in the category of “Best Boxed Set.” Whale Music and Secret Sounds of Ponds are his latest books. Nightingales In Berlin is his latest film. Rothenberg is a distinguished professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

EVENT DETAILS: 

• Thursday afternoon, March 14, 2024 - Placertopia Live podcast with featured interview and musical performance by David Rothenberg. 4:30 - 6:00 PM Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St. Placerville. Free to the public.
• Thursday evening, March 14, 2024 - Concert with David Rothenberg and guests Paul Godwin and John Sellers. 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Green Room Social Club, 251 Main St. Placerville. $5 admission at the door. 
• Saturday 11:00 to 2:00 pm , March 16, 2024 - Workshop “Secret Sounds of Wakamatsu Pond,” a hands-on field recording workshop.  Free to the public with registration required.
• Register for the David Rothenberg sessions and all other RIPE AREA dates at www.bit.ly/RIPEAREA. 

RIPE AREA is created by American River Conservancy and Myrtle Tree Arts. The project is funded in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency, and funded in part by the Capital Region Creative Corps of the Sacramento Office of Arts and Culture, with support from the City of Sacramento.