I’m a double bass player and writer who’s passionate about the environment, and so I weave looping bass improvisation with wildlife sounds and my own poetry. I’ve played for outdoor festivals, indoor concerts, yoga classes and as enrichment for zoo animals. As much as possible I interact musically with the wild sounds that are happening at the time, either live or recorded: bird calls, frog calls, whale songs, tree music. By taking interspecies communication to a musical level, I explore how our understanding of nature deepens as we listen, how this can alter our awareness of being fundamentally interconnected with our natural environment, and how we can be inspired to protect it.
Upcoming concerts
Past performances
Icon: Visions of Eternity at Christ Church Cathedral
On Sat 14 June I performed Visions of Eternity looping bass with stunning icons by Michael Galovic. Part of the ICON: Visions of Eternity weekend at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, NSW, Australia, my one-hour music meditation transported listeners into a deeper layer of being.
“Wild Looping Bass” at Newcastle Fringe
Deep looping harmonies and improvisation woven with wildlife sounds and my own spoken work poetry, inspire by the beauty and fragility of nature: Two amazing shows on 23 & 29 March, 2025 at The Dungeon, Adamstown as part of the Newcastle Fringe Festival. Watch the highlights here.
“Water(fall) Music”
Looping bass improvisation, poetry and visuals telling the story of how (and why) I do cliff-jumping. A performance at Tripod Slideshow, Nov. 2021. (Full story here.) Starts at 26’50”.
Bass at the Conservatory Lanterns
In December 2020, for the winter solstice, I played looping double bass for a socially-distanced crowd at the Seymour Conservatory in Wright Park, Tacoma. It was a memorial for those lost in the pandemic, and part of the inaugural Tacoma Light Trail with lanterns made by Stars 4 Peace.
Playing with Wildlife
Howling with Wolves:
I got to play for the gray wolves at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park.
Whistling with Walruses:
Making music with two Pacific walruses at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
Bass & Yoga
What They’re Saying
“(Ponnekanti) plays for Point Defiance walruses, who sing along.” – Interview with Ed Ronco on NPR/KNKX “All Things Considered”
“Magical! The mercurial sound of the bass, from growly to ethereal, spoke the language of the trees and brought new insights to human ears.” – Julie Christoph, attendee at Solstice Lights performance
“An exceptional performance. I was mesmerized watching your music interact with the synesthetic lights. Thank you for encouraging us in the audience to interact with you and the bass afterwards.” – Kathleen Figetakis, attendee at Solstice Lights performance
“Sounds of trees, whales and birds and frogs are taken up by Rosemary Ponnekanti in her performance of ‘Wild Looping Bass’. Her words join her thrumming instrument in a conversation which for me reached its highpoint in the jazz-like exchange between her double bass, her poetry and the ardent frogs.” – Zeny Giles, poet, at Newcastle Fringe Festival 2025
“Mesmerising looping double bass mimicking sounds of whales, frogs, birds, and leaving the listener with a rich resonating hum.” – Kate Giles at Newcastle Fringe Festival 2025
“I was so moved; it was transcendental!” – Alex Morris, writer, at Newcastle Fringe Festival 2025
Rosemary Ponnekanti 