ISSUE Project Room celebrates the 20th Anniversary of its Artists-In-Residence (AIR) program throughout 2026 with performances by current residents and returning alumni. This anniversary season highlights AIRs whose work reflects the ongoing evolution of a much broader community of experimental artists who have helped shape ISSUE for over twenty years.
Saturday, June 27th at 8pm, ISSUE presents Monarch Butterfly by 2026 Artist-In-Residence rocío sánchez featuring Melissa Almaguer (tap dance and percussion) and Kenneth Jiménez (double bass). Together, the trio explores the elusive monarch’s migratory journey through sound and movement, with each instrument articulating distinct states of motion.
Drawing from close observation and sketching of monarch flight patterns, sánchez developed a score in which the sounds gradually emerge, echoing the increased activity of the butterflies in warmer weather. As rising spring temperatures prompt northward migration from wintering grounds in Mexico, the performance similarly expands in density and proximity: gestures gather, overlap, and eventually, recede.
At once a study of collective movement and a response to a species under threat, Monarch Butterfly examines the fragile rhythms of the monarch’s lifecycle through an evolving, interdependent ensemble.
rocío sánchez is a Mexican cellist, composer, improviser, and educator whose work bridges composition, field recordings, virtual animation, and collage. Their music explores the rich sonority of the cello, aiming to expand the instrument’s color by preparing it with recycled materials. Their work has been presented at Klangspuren Festival (AT), the Darmstadt Summer Courses (DE), Red Ecología Acústica México (MX), Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC RPI), Carnegie Hall, Roulette Intermedium, the Americas Society/Council of the Americas, and The P.I.T. (Property Is Theft, NYC), among others. They have also been a visiting artist at the California Institute of the Arts and the University of California San Diego where they have premiered solo and ensemble programs. sánchez received a BM from UABC México and a MM from SUNY Purchase College. They divide their practice between Lenapehoking (New York City) and Mexico, focusing on performer-composer approaches and cello pedagogy. Upcoming recording projects include a collaborative trio with Laura Cocks and Kenneth Jiménez titled “Ghost Orchid,” and a solo cello album.
Melissa Almaguer is a Mexico-born, New York City based multidisciplinary artist whose primary instrument is tap dance. Rooted in improvisation, her work explores the intersections of sound and movement, often unfolding as real-time compositions shaped by visual scores or narrative frameworks. As a bandleader and collaborator, she leads projects such as the Melissa Almaguer Trio and collectives including praesēns and Angel of Water/Angel of Air, creating immersive performances that evolve through live creative exchange. She is a recipient of the 2025 Next Jazz Legacy, the 2024 M³ Mutual Mentorship for Musicians, and the 2023 This Is A Movement: Collective Imagining. Melissa approaches her practice as an ongoing process of listening, learning, and collaboration, and has worked with artists across disciplines, from experimental musicians to visual artists and leading figures in tap dance. Since relocating to New York City, she has performed at venues including Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, National Sawdust, Joe’s Pub, Kaufman Music Center, and The Jazz Gallery. Her work also extends internationally, bringing tap dance to audiences in Latin America through productions in Mexico. Melissa is currently on faculty at Steps on Broadway, where she shares her commitment to artistic exploration, using tap dance as a tool for expression, connection, and transformation.
Originally from Costa Rica, Kenneth Jiménez is a bassist and composer currently based in New York City. He's performed with artists like Dave Liebman, Francisco Mela, Michael Attias, Tony Malaby, Gerald Cleaver, Joe Morris, Tom Rainey, Angelica Sanchez, Harry Sjostrom, Ingrid Laubrock, Satoshi Takeishi, Hery Paz, Willy Rodríguez, Christopher Hoffman, Marta Sanchez, and others. He was a part of the 2017 Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, under the direction of renowned pianist Jason Moran. His quartet project, “Sonnet to Silence,” features Hery Paz, Angelica Sanchez and Gerald Cleaver. Their debut album is set to be released in November 2023 via Finnish label WeJazz Records. “Verolis” is his newest project, featuring Chris Hoffman on cello and Ingrid Laubrock on saxophone. The trio premiered new music at Lincoln Center’s David Rubinstein Atrium, as a part of “Futuros: New Ideas in Composition” in 2024. Jiménez was the 2025 Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow at ISSUE Project Room.
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