Name: Altared States | Electronic Soundscapes in a Divine Place
Start: 2025-08-15T09:30:00+12:00
End: 2025-08-15T10:30:00+12:00
Location: 34 Mulgrave Street, Thorndon, Wellington, New Zealand 6011

Altared States | Electronic Soundscapes in a Divine Place

Wellington’s iconic Old St Paul’s will play host to a transcendent new series in August, partnering with the Pyramid Club to present Altared States, a unique electronic music experience.
Set beneath the exquisite stained-glass windows of one of Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s most exquisite landmarks, this series promises an immersive sonic experience that invites audiences to explore sound in a deeply personal and transformative way.
Altared States is inspired by Brian Sweeney’s New York-founded Ambient Church, an initiative dedicated to collaborating with artists to create transformative audio performances in architecturally significant spaces. This series will immerse attendees in soundscapes that transcend the ordinary, offering a chance to disconnect for a moment from the modern world.
Each of the evenings will bring a different electronic vibe, conjured by some of Wellington’s most innovative artists. The series lineup includes:
August 1: Ludus
August 8: Stephen Gallagher with David Long and Jules Desmond
August 15: Oghum
August 22: Dream Chambers
Set within the chancel at the altar of the venue, each artist will perform a 60-minute immersive sound experience that redefines ritual in a contemporary light.
Tickets are available from Wednesday 18 June, with limited capacity of 50 for each show of this intimate series.
About the Artists
Ludus
is the captivating musical venture curated by Emma Bernard. Her creative inspiration spans across the worlds of electronic music, audio engineering, sound design, and the written word. Bernard’s artistic journey explores the deep connection between soundscapes and the natural world, with a focus on evoking emotional responses to the environments we inhabit. She is also co-founder of the Pōneke-based collective Tonic.
Stephen Gallagher
is an Emmy award-winning composer and music editor who has worked on an extensive range of projects, from global blockbusters to television and contemporary dance. Most recently, he completed the score for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, directed by Kenji Kamiyama. Gallagher’s work spans collaborations with Peter Jackson, Brian Eno, Ed Sheeran, Nick Cave, and many more.
David Long
is a composer, performer, founding member of The Mutton Birds, and member of easy listening noise band, Teeth. His career has spanned over 40 years and seen him work on numerous projects to commercial and critical acclaim. In his own words he likes to “mash shit up”, creating orchestral scores that utilise “not only classical instruments but all sorts of things”.
Jules Desmond
is an experimental musician from Wellington who has played in bands including Letterbox Lambs, 1/3 Octave Band, Bachelor of Architecture and Black Boned Angel.
Oghum
is the interstellar duo of Nell Thomas (Orchestra of Spheres, Cookie Brooklyn and the Crumbs) and Jonny Marks (All Seeing Hand, Mean Bones), performing on Synthi AKS, theremin and other assorted items. Oghum blends electronic sounds from times past with an array of acoustic and found sounds, using nuanced improvisation to create detailed and tangible sonic environments, invoking memory and transporting the listener through narrow gaps into wide open otherworldly spaces.
Jess Chambers
is a composer, musician, and educator currently based in Aotearoa New Zealand, and working under the moniker Dream Chambers. From her beginnings as a folk singer to her current explorations in electronic music, she experiments with sound as a practice of attention: to a room, an outer world, an inner feeling. It’s in that space of beholding where transformation and connection occur, and Chambers is a master alchemist, likening that stretch of attention in music to growing a garden: “There’s a lot of searching, reaching and eventual blossoming in my music – it feels like coming up from underground, like a tulip bulb.”
The Pyramid Club, located on Taranaki Street, is an artist-run space dedicated to experimental music and sonic arts, providing a home for innovative sound exploration.