Bowerbird is pleased to present an online conversation with John D. S. Adams, John David Fullemann, David Meschter, and Robert E. Miller, hosted by exhibition co-curators You Nakai and Dustin Hurt.

David Tudor’s work with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company required not only innovative compositional thinking but also the technical expertise of skilled audio engineers who could realize his ambitious sonic visions in performance. This conversation brings together audio engineers who worked closely with Tudor and the Cunningham company, exploring the practical challenges and creative solutions involved in touring complex electronic systems, adapting performances to diverse venues, and maintaining the integrity of Tudor’s work across hundreds of performances worldwide. The panel will discuss their experiences working alongside Tudor, the technical innovations developed to meet the demands of his compositions, and how the role of the audio engineer became inseparable from the artistic process itself. Through their firsthand accounts, this discussion illuminates a crucial but often overlooked dimension of Tudor’s practice: the collaborative relationships with engineers that made his groundbreaking electronic works possible.

This online program starts at 6:00pm Eastern US time as a Zoom Webinar. Registration is required, but free.

This event is part of A VIEW FROM INSIDE: DAVID TUDOR AT 100, an exhibition at Drexel’s Pearlstein Gallery from January 15 to March 21, 2026.

Major support for A View from Inside has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
with additional support from the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.