Music of Bel Canto Duo at Gallery 1516

November 12th, 2025

As the hum of voices turns silent and the air becomes charged with anticipation, it is the moment a musician readies their instrument that the magic of performance truly shines. Gallery 1516 presents the Bel Canto Duo to feature in their upcoming Bagels and Sometimes Bach concert series November 16. 

“It’s really amazing to see, you know, what happens for people and what surfaces for them in the context of a live performance,” said Gamerl.

It all started when multi-instrumentalist Darci Gamerl met looping artist and cellist David Downing through mutual friends in 2016. With a shared love for music, the two developed a near instant friendship. 

“I was coming home from a gig, and I saw this shooting star that went on for what seemed like ages, and I knew it meant something I just wasn’t sure what,” Gamerl said. “Well, that was the same night that David and I met, and we’ve been pretty much inseparable ever since.” 

 With classically trained backgrounds, Gamerl and Downing use their musical knowledge and talent to compose original pieces infused with healing sound. Immersive healing music, essentially lowering of brain waves, reduces stress in the listener. Bel Canto Duo’s original compositions use this intuitive science in their work, resulting in a minimalist classical sound. Gamerl and Downing’s musical collaboration began with their first co-commissioned work: Sacred Waters for the “Nebraska: Flatwater” exhibition that debuted at Gallery 1516 in 2022.

The pair have since gone on to compose several film scores, their most recent being for their own documentary “Taking Flight: The 8th Wonder of the World”. The two had been talking about visiting the crane migration for years, but after finally getting to see it in-person, inspiration struck. Gamerl and Downing began working on the documentary shortly after.

The Bel Canto Duo will be performing the score from “Taking Flight: The 8th Wonder of the World”, narrated by Otis Twelve, for their upcoming Bagels and Sometimes Bach Concert. Although the duo have performed at Gallery 1516 at least once a year since they began, this performance will be slightly different from their past concerts. A screening of the documentary will accompany the duo as they perform their score, providing the audience with an immersive experience.  

“Our hope is to raise awareness about the cranes, 14 of the 16 species of cranes are endangered, but also we kind of like to just serve a musical smorgasbord for people and they can take away from that experience what they will,” Gamerl said.

Bel Canto Duo’s performance will begin at 11:30 a.m. with doors opening at 11 a.m. As part of Gallery 1516’s annual Sunday morning concert series, the event will include refreshments such as bagels, coffee, fruit and juice.  

For more information about Bel Canto Duo’s upcoming Bagels and Sometimes Bach performance, visit gallery1516.org. For more information about Bel Canto Duo, visit belcantoduo.com.