Char Jeré and Guests Mold Time and Space in “Planet/Tear”
Char Jeré’s “Planet/Tear: Early Warning Systems” debuted on May 26 at Roulette Intermedium, transforming the gallery into an immersive arena for 15 multidisciplinary artists. The show blended rap, spoken word, synth, live sculpture and projected visuals, while a green‑skinned performer stacked cardboard boxes throughout the space. Themes ranged from Black history and surveillance to anti‑war and economic critique, all framed by Jeré’s “Afro‑Fractal” concept that collapses linear time. The performance’s fluid structure forced audiences to rely on instinctual listening rather than traditional programs.
ListN Up Playlist: Sanaya Ardeshir (May 21, 2026)
Sanaya Ardeshir, Indian producer and composer who records as Sandunes, released a curated ListN Up Playlist that showcases a wide spectrum of experimental and electronic music. The selection spans pioneers such as Suzanne Ciani and Charles Mingus to contemporary artists...
The Substance of Silence on TAK Ensemble’s “Between the Air”
TAK Ensemble released its eighth album, *Between the Air*, showcasing five new works composed over the past seven years. The record foregrounds extreme textures, extended techniques, and the nuanced use of silence, turning quiet moments into powerful statements. Critics note...
SydeBoob Duo’s”Au Naturel” Is a Bold and Athletic Debut
SydeBoob Duo, consisting of soprano Anna Elder and flutist Sarah Steranka, released their debut album “Au Naturel” on New Focus Recordings in 2026. The record presents demanding works by composers such as Rebecca Saunders, Ramin Akhavijou, Anthony Braxton, Max Johnson,...
Chance Meeting Leads to Fruitful Collaboration on Goal Weight’s “Keep Telling Yourself That”
Goal Weight’s debut album Keep Telling Yourself That emerged from a serendipitous encounter between violinist Jennifer Gersten and double‑bassist Marguerite Cox at a celebrity yoga retreat during the pandemic. The eight‑track record is fully improvised, weaving folk motifs, microtonal experiments, and avant‑garde noise...
Music Flies Free in “Papillons” From Manchester Collective
The Manchester Collective closed Southbank Centre’s Multitudes festival with “Papillons,” a hybrid concert‑dance‑multimedia event staged in the Purcell Room on 30 April. Cellist Laura van der Heijden performed solo alongside the dance duo Thick & Tight and multimedia artist CHAINES, presenting new works such as...
Kavyesh Kaviraj Wears His Influences on His Sleeve – And Reminds Us of Our Common Humanity
Kavyesh Kaviraj, an immigrant composer raised in Oman, fuses Carnatic, Hindustani, jazz, and Western classical music into a distinctive style. After studying jazz at Columbia College Chicago and Berklee, he joined the faculty of Walker|West Music Academy in St. Paul,...
Disorienting Dread in the Works of Hannah Kendall
Hannah Kendall’s Composer Portrait opened Miller Theatre’s 2025/2026 season, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble under Vimbayi Kaziboni. The program featured four recent works—*Tuxedo: Diving Bell 2*, *When flesh is pressed against the dark*, *Even sweetness can scratch the throat*, and...
Transgression Is Freedom in the Artistry of Dorian Wood
Los Angeles‑born multidisciplinary artist Dorian Wood, now based in Boston, is channeling her anti‑disciplinary practice into a new album, *Canto de Todes*, released May 1 by New Amsterdam Records. The record translates a 12‑hour immersive installation premiered at REDCAT into a 70‑minute...
5 Questions to Hamed Erfani (Composer) and Yasaman Seif (Cellist)
Iranian composer Hamed Erfani and cellist Yasaman Seif, now based in Oklahoma, are preparing two high‑profile spring performances. Seif will present a recital on May 4 that features Erfani’s solo cello work *Detachment*, reflecting their ten‑month separation after their wedding. Erfani,...
5 Questions to Ryan Alexander (Founder, Project Poetic Justice)
Project Poetic Justice, founded by Ryan Alexander, runs a ten‑week music and poetry program for incarcerated young adults at the DC Jail. In its second year the cohort expands to over 50 residents, with roughly 30 choosing to engage, and...
Maiani Da Silva Renews Sonic Connections to Nature on “Brouhaha”
Maiani da Silva’s 2026 album Brouhaha: Shaped by Fire presents six new solo‑violin works that intertwine music with anthropology and science. Each piece, commissioned from a different composer, probes a distinct aspect of humanity’s relationship to Earth’s ecosystems. The project includes a 31‑second field...
Perpetual Adaptability: Amina Claudine Myers at 84
Amina Claudine Myers, now 84, remains a prolific force across jazz, gospel, classical, and avant‑garde music. After early classical training and church choir roots in Arkansas, she migrated to Chicago in the 1960s, where the AACM nurtured her improvisational voice....
ListN Up Playlist: Xavier Emmanuel (April 9, 2026)
Xavier Emmanuel, a Denver‑born PhD candidate at Harvard, launched the “We Rise from Sameness” playlist to investigate how sonic repetition shapes identity. His interdisciplinary practice spans music, poetry, visual art, and scholarly research, with work shown at venues from Harvard...
Éliane Radigue: A Legacy of Listening Closely, Together
French composer Éliane Radigue, who died in February 2024, left a profound legacy as a pioneer of drone‑based electronic and acoustic music. Beginning with her early feedback works in the late 1960s and the iconic ARP 2500 synth pieces such as...