Loosen & Hold On: a December concert with Ali and Aly

This December, join songwriters Ali Dineen and Aly Halpert for a special evening of song and comfort in community. In the pocket of time between two avalanching political events, Ali and Aly will share songs for the heart, for resilience, and for all of us doing the work of birthing a different world. Multi-instrumentalist Rachel Chang will accompany Aly. 

Come on in, loosen, and hold on:

"Things are not as they seem/
and you are not on your own
cause nobody enters this world alone." - Ali Dineen

Doors @ 7pm, Concert @ 7:30pm

The Rotunda, 4104 Walnut Street

$18-54 suggested donation, with NOTAFLOF (No one turned away for lack of funds)

Ali Dineen (she/they) is a songwriter, composer, visual artist and teacher. Born and raised and currently working in Queens, NY, she has performed at the Museum of Art and Design, the Caramoor American Roots Music Festival, the American Folk Art Museum, and the Brooklyn Folk Festival, among other wonderful venues. Ali worked as Musical Director for the Stop Shopping Choir for several years, including on their 2024 national Love Earth tour opening for Neil Young. Ali was awarded the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation Residency in 2020, and is a 2025 NYSCA arts grant recipient. Ali works as the music director for local puppet troupe extraordinaire The Boxcutter Collective. They are currently working on a new music and theater piece about Joan of Arc.

Aly Halpert (she/her) is a queer Jewish musician, educator, and activist living on Lenni Lenape land in Philadelphia, PA, USA. A singer, pianist, and guitar player, Aly writes songs for building community and visioning different worlds. Aly leads music and prayer for Jewish community, including Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action, Hadar's Rising Song Institute, Kol Tzedek Synagogue, and Let My People Sing. Her songs have been sung in national gatherings, song circles, and quiet moments of personal prayer, and have moved people all over the world. Her first full-band album Loosen was released in April 2022 with Rising Song Records. Aly believes deeply in the power of music to awaken us to the loss and hope we carry, expand our sense of possibility, and connect us to each other and our collective strength. 

Rachel Chang (she/her) is a Jewish musician, songleader, and educator, as well as a music therapist, living in Philadelphia, PA. Drawing from the many communities and identities that have shaped her, Rachel leads with expressive guitar, sensitive listening, and a deep intention to cultivate belonging. She is the director of A Queer Nigun Project, which uses nigunim as a collective healing practice for LGBTQIA+ people, for Jews of Color, and for incarcerated people in Jewish community, and she is the ritual director at LUNAR: The Asian Jewish Collective. As a queer and multiracial Chinese-American Jew, Rachel has spent years grappling with what it means to belong, to take up space, and to be heard in Jewish community, and she has found music to be an invaluable resource.

Accessibility information:

- Masking encouraged 

Left side of the building toward the back (follow the path between Cinemark movie theater and The Rotunda): There are seven steps up to enter the venue.

- Right side of the building toward the back: There is a ramp equipped for wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, and all other assistive devices. Follow the concrete path from Walnut Street. Once inside, make a right into the hallway and then make a left at the restroom. This entrance is kept locked except during events. 

- The venue has a ramp onto the stage as well, stage right. It's ADA compliant and brand new and snazzy. 

- There is a single-occupancy, all-gender ADA restroom on the first floor, almost as soon as you enter from the ramp. This restroom is also equipped with a baby changing station. 

- There are additional, all-gender restrooms in the basement. The restroom on the east side of the basement is equipped with three toilets. The restroom on the west side of the basement is equipped with three toilets and two urinals. 

- The venue does not have central air conditioning. There are small portable units and fans but the venue is not considered air-conditioned. 

Arriving & Parking:

Our neighborhood is very walkable if you can do so; The streets are well lit and most sidewalks are smooth.
The Rotunda is accessible via several SEPTA lines including bus routes 21, 42, and 40, the Market Frankford line (MFL) (40th and Market stop), and the 11, 13, 34, and 36 trolley lines (40th Street stop/trolley portal)
We have three bike racks.
There is metered and unmetered street parking on 40th, 41st, 42nd, Walnut, Locust, Spruce, and other nearby streets. Street parking is free on Sundays. 

In addition, there is an 8-story parking garage at Acme on the northwest corner of 40th and Walnut. Hours: 5:30am-11pm. Daily rate: $18; evening & weekend rate: $15 (after 3:30pm, out by 11pm). Credit cards only. More info HERE