Bowerbird is pleased to present THUMBS 

Performing as the duo Thumbs, multi-reedists David Leon and Yuma Uesaka have developed a peculiar improvised practice. Built around a shared interest in extended timbres and hairpin counterpoint, their music explores extremes: quiet and loud, dense and desolate, serious and silly.

Yuma Uesaka is a Japanese-American saxophonist, clarinetist, improviser, performer, and composer based in New York City since 2014. Over the last decade, Yuma has contributed to scenes that embrace various experimental and historic practices primarily rooted in jazz, creative improvised music, and new music. His music often explores the fringes of instrumental and compositional techniques to question traditional musical roles and deconstruct assumed binaries of improvised/composed, acoustic/electronic, and music/noise. An active sideperson, Yuma has performed in groups led by Anna Webber, Lesley Mok, and DoYeon Kim, at venues such as Roulette, National Sawdust, and The Jazz Gallery. He can be heard on Pi, American Dreams, and NotTwo Records. As a composer, he has received recognition from the ASCAP Foundation, Metropolis, and Either/Or Ensemble.

David Leon is a Cuban-American saxophonist, woodwinds player, composer, and improviser living in Brooklyn, New York. His work is guided by a persistent search for vitality through autonomy, contradiction, hyperbole, and humor. His work with the saxophone investigates alternate methods for producing a tone, refinement of these techniques, and development of a distinct vocabulary using these sounds; he melds this timbral approach with melodic and rhythmic phrasing from Cuban folkloric traditions, narrative playing, Free Jazz & avant-garde esthetics, and microtonality to reveal a personal conceit. In 2024, David was named a Music Composition Fellow by the CINTAS Foundation and was awarded a Jerome Commission by Roulette Intermedium to support the creation of A Divine Echo, a hybrid work of chamber music and wordless puppet theatre. In April 2025, he will present a new solo work for amplified saxophone and electronics as part of his Roulette 2024/2025 Jerome Artist Residency. His work has been recognized by The Jazz Gallery’s Mentoring Series, New Music USA, etc

Admission is FREE/pay what you wish

As a composer/performer (ASCAP writer and publisher member), arranger/producer, synthesist/programmer, multiinstrumentalistand sound designer, Clive Smith (born, London, England) is a maker of sundry noises. He received his M.A. in composition from New York University. He was awarded two platinum albums for his studio work with Hall and Oates (Big Bam Boom) and with Freddie Jackson (Just Like The First Time). His work with other artists includes Herbie Hancock, Yoko Ono, Sly Stone, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Malcolm McLaren. He co-wrote the music for the cult classic film Liquid Sky. His own musical compositions have been used by all U.S. major television networks as well as by television in more than forty countries worldwide. He also has many solo and collaborative album releases of his music.

Karl Fury is a multi instrumentalist, improviser, composer and instrument builder from central NJ. His music draws on rock, blues, jazz, folk, classical, electronic and world music. He’s played in a number of bands, duos and trios for 50+ years. He’s performed at a number of festivals and venues up and down the East coast. His current musical projects include duos Beard Farm, Larry Roche, Quantum Bingo, Smith and Fury and the trio Sonic Foundry.

Infrasubcontra is a tuba-doom duo from New Jersey. Tuba and Euphonium (and other brass instruments) improvised/semi-composed drone duets with pedals and synths. Infrasubcontra performs high powered low brass electro acoustic music with a focus on drone, depth, and disassociating textures. Their music is improvised and bass heavy, taking influence from a wide range of American underground and academic musical traditions.

Sohme is the sound-based project of Philadelphia artist, producer, and architectural designer Saumon Oboudiyat.  Informed by a decade of work as an architectural designer and a lifetime of musicianship, his work blends analog and digital synthesis, acoustic instrumentation, and environmental sound into immersive listening environments. Released via Phantom Limb’s Spirituals imprint, his debut album Palm reflects on new fatherhood, Persian-American cultural duality, and shifting life stages through layered textures and arrangements. His work has recently been performed at Passages, Johnny Brenda’s, Vox Populi, and Pageant : Soloveev alongside guest lectures at Parsons School of Design.

Admission is FREE

 Audiences are invited to experience Sephro: The Abduction, a staged reading of a science-fiction fantasy drama about courage, trauma, family, and survival in a beautiful but dangerous world. The reading will take place Sunday, October 18, at 7:00 PM at The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Admission is pay what you can, with a $5 minimum.

Set on the thriving planet Sephro, the story follows Craela, a young warrior determined to reclaim her future after a devastating childhood trauma caused by her Uncle Jondu, the security leader of her homeland. Sephro’s people survive by battling enormous snakes, monstrous birds, and terrifying white insects with deadly power—using extraordinary magical skill to protect their world.

As Craela trains to become the strongest warrior she can be, her father, Armino, fears that the lingering effects of her trauma could surface in battle and cost her her life. Yet Craela’s mother, Cranlaw; Head Shoki Coran; Ror Shoki Tanna; her siblings; and her friends stand beside her, determined to support her healing without holding her back.

The stakes rise when Surin, one of Craela’s closest friends, is abducted to a distant planet by Jondu himself. Surin carries a rare nurturing energy tied to his future as Ror Noki of Sephro, but Jondu wants that power for a revenge plot after being imprisoned on Sartozhia for his attack on Craela. When Craela is chosen for the rescue mission, she must face a new challenge that may prove she is far stronger than Jondu ever imagined.

Sephro: The Abduction blends high-stakes fantasy action with an intimate story of resilience, healing, and community. The staged reading offers an early look at a richly imagined world where magic is a means of survival and one young warrior’s greatest battle may be the one within herself.

“Sephro: The Abduction is inspired in part by current events in the world today. My hope is that it helps raise awareness and offers a sense of peace and strength to children who have suffered trauma within their families.” —Kate Quinn

Event Details

·       What: Staged reading of Sephro: The Abduction

·       When: Sunday, October 18, 2026, at 7:00 PM

·       Where: The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

·       Admission: Pay what you can; $5 minimum

·       Recommended for: Fans of sci-fi fantasy, magical worlds, character-driven drama, and stories of resilience

About Sephro: The Abduction

Sephro: The Abduction explores trauma, protection, bravery, and the power of support systems. Through Craela’s journey, the story asks what it means to heal while still facing danger—and how love can help someone move forward without taking away their agency.

About Kate Quinn

Kate Quinn is the creator of Sephro: The Abduction, a science-fiction fantasy story that blends imaginative world-building with themes of trauma, resilience, family, and healing. Through her work, Quinn seeks to tell bold, emotionally grounded stories that offer strength, awareness, and hope to audiences, especially those who have experienced hardship within their families.

Media Contact

Kate Quinn267-742-9098hazelkate67@msn.comTikTok Handle: hazelkatequinn