Snarky Puppy’s Rabbit Hole

An Experience by Dreamcatcher events

August 3rd-6th, 2026
Terrytown Hose Estate, Terrytown, NY
Photos and Review by Miguel Nunez

“Music is magic” was the thought running through my mind throughout Snarky Puppy’s Rabbit Hole event.

This immersive four-day event took place at the Tarrytown House Estate in New York. From the moment I arrived and saw deer wandering the grounds, the experience felt magical. Surrounded by nature and centered around a beautiful mansion, the estate created the perfect environment for four days of music, learning, connection, and inspiration.

Curated by Snarky Puppy and Dreamcatcher Events, Rabbit Hole offered an immersive schedule of masterclasses, breakout groups, jam sessions, shared meals, and a Snarky Puppy performance each night. More importantly, it created an environment where barriers seemed to disappear. Over four days, I had the opportunity to learn from, jam with, and ask questions directly to musicians whose work has inspired me for years.

During the event, I got to meet professional musicians, students, teachers, and hobbits. People from different backgrounds and walks of life, brought together by a shared passion for music, performance, and the arts. Over meals, conversations, and jam sessions, we formed connections that will long outlast the four days we spent together.

To experience live music is to experience a miracle. It is an improbable alignment of people, circumstances, talent, and trust, all coming together in service of creating something that did not exist moments before. As unlikely as music can seem in its simplest form, that improbability only grows with larger ensembles, where musicians must listen, adapt, support one another, and move as a single organism. Few bands embody that miracle better than Snarky Puppy. For more than twenty years, they have continued to push musical boundaries while proving that, even in a world saturated with content and overproduction, there remains a deep appetite for thoughtful compositions, genuine creativity, and performances capable of moving people on a profound emotional level.

Although Rabbit Hole was centered around music, many of its lessons applied just as easily to everyday life. A great jam session isn't all that different from a great conversation. Elevate each other with your words. Keep the momentum going. Don't go beyond your means. When someone has something to say, give them the space to finish it. Encourage others to contribute. Listen as much as you speak. Get big ears.

Rabbit Hole was also a masterclass in leadership. It was a lesson in building high-performing teams and sustaining them over the long run. It demonstrated how to give direct feedback while maintaining a deep sense of mutual respect. It showed what is possible when leaders communicate a vision clearly, trust the people around them, and invite them to create together. Above all, it was a lesson in endurance and resilience. Watching what Snarky Puppy has built over more than two decades served as a reminder that meaningful work requires patience, consistency, and faith in the process.

I returned home with a renewed appreciation for music, but perhaps more importantly, with lessons that will help me become a better husband, father, photographer, leader, and friend.

To photograph this event was pure joy. It gave me the opportunity to witness and capture the connections between the members of Snarky Puppy, the moments of surprise, the shared smiles, and the genuine joy that unfolded on stage throughout the week. Watching these musicians communicate without words and bring these compositions to life was an honor I will carry with me for a long time.

“Capture how it felt to be there” has long been my mantra as a concert photographer. Throughout the four days of Rabbit Hole, I felt so immersed in the experience that photographing it often felt effortless. At times, it felt as though I was standing in the middle of the performance itself, experiencing the music alongside the musicians.

As I took in the beauty of the event through both my eyes and ears, I couldn't help but move, smile, cheer, and on more than one occasion, be moved to tears by what I was fortunate enough to witness.

None of this would have been possible without the organization and attention to detail of the Dreamcatcher team. Their planning and execution made it seamless for us to experience music at its fullest. “Life changing” was a phrase that kept coming up in conversations throughout the weekend. The more I reflected on it, the more fitting the name Dreamcatcher seemed. For many of us, Rabbit Hole was a dream, and the Dreamcatcher team managed to transform that dream into something real that we could experience, share, and hold onto long after the event ended. Thank you, Dreamcatcher team and Snarky Puppy!

To experience live music is to experience a miracle… it’s magic!