A Wordless Gathering. A Modern Ritual.
Live music for the ears only.
UnScene
UnScene is a weekly* silent gathering in which live music is heard but not seen. It is a place where our deepest selves can linger, a space where we can contemplate the unseen.
*The goal is to eventually offer this on a weekly basis, but we are still in the early stages of building support for this idea. Email Ellen Cockerham Riccio at ellen@firstcreatures.com to find out how you can help.
Join us!
The next UnScene gathering will take place at the Varina Area Library (1875 New Market Rd.) on Saturday, March 1st at 10am in the grand staircase. Free and open to the public.
Upcoming dates at the library: May 10 and June 28, 2025.
The layers of meaning behind UnScene are threefold.
First, it is a gathering in which people can honor and connect with the unseen within themselves: the mysterious and the unnameable. It is a space for religious experience which is not itself religious.
Secondly, it is not the usual music “scene” in which one goes out as much to be seen as to see the music. It is more about seeing the unseeable than it is about being seen or socializing. It is community, or communion, without communication.
Finally, it is a live music performance, minus the performing. The musicians are positioned behind the audience, and their identities are not made known.
What to expect:
Arrive at the Varina Area Library anytime before 10am to get settled in. Take a seat in the Grand Staircase which faces the large, 2-story window looking out onto the nearby wetlands and woods.
The music will begin at 10am and last approximately 30 minutes. Late arrivals will be seated behind the musicians. There’s no need to applaud—just enjoy the silence.
We hope you’ll join us!
