On October 19 2025, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at Brain Dead Studios in Los Angeles. Heaven and Earth Magic is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.
This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. This is the first performance on the West Coast.
The evening will open with a rare screening of Thirlwell’s 11-minute film Sonder, which was commissioned by the Frekvens Film Symposium in Gotland, Sweden in 2018. Sonder was conceived, directed and scored by Thirlwell and filmed by Sebastian Mlynarski.
Tickets available here
Tag: Sonder
Thirlwell performs live score to Harry Smith film at Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn
On July 29 2025, JG Thirlwell will perform a live score to the legendary Harry Smith film Heaven and Earth Magic at Nitehawk Cinema by Prospect Park in Brooklyn. “Heaven and Earth Magic” is a 1962 avant-garde stop-motion animation. Its surreal imagery, drawn from cutups of 19th century catalogs, has a mystical and hypnotic quality that has entranced viewers for decades.
This will be a solo performance by Thirlwell in immersive four channel sound, performed on keyboards with computer / sample programs and theremin. The score was commissioned by L’Etrange Film Festival in Paris and premiered there in 2024. This is the first performance in North America.
The evening will open with a rare screening of Thirlwell’s 11-minute film Sonder, which was commissioned by the Frekvens Film Symposium in Gotland, Sweden in 2018. Sonder was conceived, directed and scored by Thirlwell and filmed by Sebastian Mlynarski.
Tickets available here
Thirlwell's 'Sonder' US premiere at Roxy Underground Film Festival
JG Thirlwell‘s short film ‘Sonder‘ will be making its US premiere at the Roxy Underground Film Festival on Sep 24 2018. ‘Sonder’ was directed and scored by JG Thirlwell, and photographed by Sebastian Mlynarski. The Roxy Underground Film Festival series is led by pioneering indie filmmaker Amos Poe, alongside The Roxy Cinema’s Curator, Illyse Singer. Tickets are free with RSVP here. The Roxy Cinema is located at 2 6th Avenue, Cellar Level of The Roxy Hotel New York, NY 10013.
JG Thirlwell presentation at Monash University
JG Thirlwell conducted a lecture and presentation on Aug 29 2018 at Monash University (Clayton Campus) in Melbourne, at the MPavilion Rotunda, presenting an overview of his music and sound practice along with a screening of his film his short Sonder. The presentation was concluded with a performance of JG Thirlwell’s composition for string quartet, ‘Narcolepsy‘, performed by Commons Quartet.