Wednesday, May 2, The Secret Science Club Presents "Aural Reports: Frogs That Rap and Glass That Sings"

BIOLOGIST DARCY KELLEY LECTURES ON FUNKY FROG CALLS AND ANIMAL COMMUNICATION, 8 PM
Birds do it, bees do it—even frogs with claws in South Africa do it! Take a wild tour of brain science with Columbia University neurobiologist Darcy Kelley as she probes the courtship songs of Xenopus frogs—including “rapping.”

Have you ever wondered how male and female animals find each other, and what pick-up lines they use? Kelley’s research examines sexual strategies and the fascinating (and feisty!) world of animal communication.

SOUND ARTIST KATIE DOWN AND HER GLASS MENAGERIE, 9:15 PM
Composer and improviser Katie Down creates a sight-and-sound sensation. Echoing, ringing, buzzing, and tinkling, her silica-based instruments include a crystallophone made of wine goblets, glass tubes and bells, fish bowls, and an all-glass glockenspiel. Katie Down will be joined by artists Caleb Burhans on viola and voice, Taylor Ho Bynum on cornet, and dancer Rachel Bernsen.

--Before: Groove to tunes inspired by bullfrogs and peepers!

--Imbibe the Libation of the Night, the Croak-a-rita, a little green cocktail that will have you contacting your mate via frog song …

The “Secret Science Club” meets May 2nd at 8 p.m. (and the first Wednesday night of every month) in the basement @ Union Hall, 702 Union St. (at 5th Ave.) in Park Slope, Brooklyn, p: 718.638.4400
Subway: R to Union St.; F to 4th Ave.; Q, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic

** Secret Science Club Goes BAM! on Saturday, April 21 **

Union Hall’s Secret Science Club is
Blasting off to the Brooklyn Academy of Music [BAM] for a science soirée and concert of INTERGALACTIC dimensions.

Saturday, April 21
Union Hall’s “Secret Science Club,” the Brooklyn Philharmonic, and The Onion present:
A Night of Cosmic Delights

A performance of Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” — accompanied by the New York premiere of exclusive NASA footage—is launched in BAM’s mothership of an opera house by the Brooklyn Philharmonic. The Secret Science Club is onboard with a pre-concert soirée, featuring free cosmic brew and a chance to “Ask the Astrophysicist.” Price: $25. Call (718) 488-5913 for tickets--and don't forget to use the "Secret Science Club" password!

Pre-concert astronomy soirée, sponsored by The Onion, at 7 p.m.
Grab yourself a rocket-fueled libation, and ask our resident astrophysicist questions like “What is dark matter?” and “Why is Pluto no longer a planet.” Impress your friends and rub elbows with the stars.. Free "Moonshot" and "Edison" beers, courtesy of The Onion and New Century Brewing! Spacey door prizes will be awarded . . .

Ride into Symphonic Space with the Brooklyn Philharmonic at 8 p.m.
Strap on your jetpack and head into orbit with Gustav Holst’s symphonic suite “The Planets”—accompanied by exclusive, big-screen images of space provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. An astronomer narrates your celestial trip. The inter-planetary itinerary includes: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, and beyond!

Also on the bill: the Kronos Quartet joins the Brooklyn Philharmonic for the New York premiere of Julia Wolfe’s My Beautiful Scream. And the philharmonic lifts Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis into the celestial realm! Don’t miss this ultrasonic ride to the edge . . .

Post-Concert Discussion
Brooklyn Philharmonic guest conductor Stefan Asbury, composer Julia Wolfe, and members of the Kronos Quartet join forces to discuss the concert—and take on questions from the audience.

Price: $25, includes a ticket to the concert in the opera house’s best available seats, entrance to the Secret Science Club pre-concert soiree with FREE rocket-fueled brew, and the opportunity to display your “geek chic” badge of honor. LIMITED AVAILABILITY. Don’t let the mothership leave without you.

How to get tickets: Just call the BP Patrons Services line at (718) 488-5913 and identify yourself as a secret science intergalactic party creature!

Where: This special edition of the Secret Science Club meets at 7 p.m. at the BAMCafe in the Peter J. Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. The concert starts at 8 p.m. in the Howard Gilman Opera House in the Peter J. Sharp Building.

Getting to BAM: By Subway: 2,3,4,5, B, D, M, N, R, Q to Atlantic/Pacific; or the G to Fulton.
Visit www.bam.org/visitor/direction.aspx for a neighborhood map, driving directions, parking information, and other ways to get to BAM.

For information: contact BP Patrons Services at (718) 488-5913

The Union Hall Secret Science Club is a free monthly series featuring science lectures and musical guests, held on the first Wednesday of every month at Union Hall—“Brooklyn’s Best Nerd Bar”—at 702 Union St. This special event on April 21 takes the Secret Science Club “up the road and down Flatbush Avenue” to the Brooklyn Academy of Music. For more information about the Secret Science Club, check out our new Myspace page at www.myspace.com/secretscienceclub

One of the nation's premier music ensembles, The Brooklyn Philharmonic continues to celebrate its vital presence in the cultural life of the New York metropolitan area. The Philharmonic is devoted to serving Brooklyn's cultural and educational communities through partnerships with New York City's Department of Education, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn Public Library and Brooklyn Academy of Music, among other organizations. For the past five decades, the Brooklyn Philharmonic has played a leading role in presenting innovative and thematic programming, receiving 21 ASCAP Awards over the last 25 years for "Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music." Since its 1954 inception, audiences have embraced the Brooklyn Philharmonic's commitment to the concept of the orchestra as a contemporary performance ensemble, emphasizing important present-day music, as in the decades of Beethoven and Brahms. The Philharmonic has premiered over 350 works, including 61 commissions.