Wardruna

ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, IN ASSOCIATION WITH
EMPORIUM PRESENTS, BRINGS
NORWEGIAN MUSIC COLLECTIVE WARDRUNA
TO PHILADELPHIA AS PART OF
THE WORLD TOUR PART II,
SEPTEMBER 27, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (August 6, 2025) – Ensemble Arts Philly, in association with Emporium Presents, is excited to bring the Norwegian music collective Wardruna and their World Tour 2025 - Part II to the Miller Theater on September 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. This World Tour is in support of their new, highly acclaimed album, Birna.

Wardruna is dedicated to creating musical renditions of ancient Norse and Nordic traditions. Einar Selvik, Lindy-Fay Hella, and the rest of the group create something new through something old, utilizing the past to craft their contemporary, authentic, and unique sound. Instruments and wisdom from ancient times, coupled with modern-day soundscapes and recorded sounds of nature, provide a rare opportunity to tell us something valuable about ourselves. It works as a reminder that we are part of nature, not above it, and it offers a way of remembering, not for memory's own sake, but to gain both new and forgotten insight.

“Wardruna’s appearance allows us to share a unique art form that beautifully bridges the ancient with the contemporary, offering our community the chance to explore and connect with these newfound traditions,” said Frances Egler, Vice President of Theatrical Programming and Presentations.

In January 2025, Wardruna released Birna, their sixth studio album. The title, which translates to "she-bear" in Old Norse, honors the warden of the forest, nature's caretaker, and her battles here on earth. The album unravels the long and entangled history of the relationship between man and bear and contemplating the present state of how we humans relate to the wild in general. Wardruna will be joined in Philadelphia by special guest Chelsea Wolf.

The bear frequently figures in the oldest myths of mankind in the northern hemisphere, and many indigenous people still regard this animal as a totem, honoring it with rites and songs. It was once our respected guardian, our guide to edible plants and berries, a creature we both feared and admired. Although the bear from the very beginning has constituted a threat to our own lives and those of our livestock, humans have always identified with the bear in various ways. If you skin the animal, its body underneath the fur strongly resembles that of man, which may be a reason legend has it the bear in fact originated from humans, and for thousands of years we have strived for its strength and wit. In some cultures, “treading the path of the bear” means pursuing what you’re truly meant to do in life.

Wardruna draws inspiration from immersion in nature, and the dialogue that takes place between all creatures, forces and energies present. “When I walk into a forest, I open my senses and listen for whatever nature cares to tell me”, Einar Selvik has explained when contemplating his creative process – his hunting for songs amid trees, air, rocks and sea. Boasting a distinctive new sound, while at the same time building on the musical roots so intrinsic to the Wardruna tradition, Birna truly nurtures the insight that has been at the core of Selvik’s philosophy right from the start: that to give place to something new, you must let something else die.

Playing at manmade historical locations like the world heritage site Odeon of Herodes Atticus, at the Acropolis in Athens, the Ancient Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and Castle Devin in Bratislava, Slovakia, as well as surrounded by natural wonders such as the Red Rocks in Colorado, Wardruna, in dialogue with the audience, continues to create moments of true connection between inner and outer landscapes and each other.

Other featured upcoming performances include An Evening with Phil Rosenthal of “Somebody Feed Phil” (September 12, 2025, Miller Theater); Good Things: An Evening with Samin Nosrat (September 17, 2025, Miller Theater); Nikki Glaser: Alive and Unwell Tour (September 19 – 20, 2025, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center); The Improvised Shakespeare Company (September 19 – 20, 2025, Perelman Theater inside the Kimmel Center); MasterChef All-Stars Live! (September 25, 2025, Miller Theater); iLuminate (September 26, 2025, Miller Theater); Wardruna: World Tour 2025 – Part II (September 27, 2025, Miller Theater); X & Los Lobos: 99 Years of Rock N’ Roll (September 28, 2025, Miller Theater); SIX (September 30 – October 5, 2025, Academy of Music); Stardew Valley: Symphony of Seasons (October 2, 2025, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center); and Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán (October 6, 2025, Marian Anderson Hall inside the Kimmel Center).

Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online at www.ensembleartsphilly.org, by calling 215-893-1999, or in person at the Academy of Music Box Office (240 S. Broad Street) daily from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.

Wardruna: World Tour 2025 - Part II
Miller Theater
Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. 

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ABOUT EMPORIUM PRESENTS
Emporium Presents is a full-fledged national event promotion company. With offices in Auburn, WA and Nashville, TN. Emporium creates, produces, books, and markets world-class live experiences including concerts, comedians, and specialty events.

Emporium Presents produces hundreds of events annually in the United States and Canada ranging from clubs to arenas. To date, Emporium Presents has promoted thousands of shows for renowned acts like Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton, Jason Mraz, The Scorpions, and The Trailer Park Boys. Emporium Presents specializes in a variety of genres; whether you’re a fan of rock, hip-hop, soul, country, jam-bands, and even comedy, Emporium Presents continues to produce all of your favorite events from coast to coast!

ABOUT ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY
For more information about ENSEMBLE ARTS PHILLY, visit www.ensembleartsphilly.org.     

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