MATA presents its 27th annual MATA Festival, this year in partnership with ISSUE Project Room at the limited capacity 22 Boerum Pl. theater. Featuring four concerts across four nights, this year’s festival explores the concept of INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces.
ISSUE Project Room hosts a free limited engagement for up to 10 ISSUE Members with RSVP with Thomas Ankersmit on his artistic practice with the Serge Modular analog synthesizer, his main instrument since 2006.
ISSUE Project Room is honored to present a special recording session by composer, poet, and 2021 Artist-In-Residence JJJJJerome Ellis, joined by longtime collaborator S T A R R busby. This intimate event gives unique access to ISSUE Members and launches the 2025 summer membership campaign.
At 2pm, ISSUE hosts a free public town hall organized by sound conceptualist & 2009 ISSUE Artist-In-Residence Matana Roberts–the first in a nationwide series of gatherings.
Susan Alcorn (+)1 (-)1 will feature a solo improvised performance by Alcorn followed by (Minus)One, ensemble curated by Janel Leppin, performing Alcorn’s compositions featuring Janel Leppin with Eyvind Kang, Jessika Kenney, Doug Wieselman, Anthony Pirog and Skulí Sverrisson.
The first night of Susan Alcorns residency will include new arrangements of Astor Piazzolla songs performed with Ryan Sawyer, Steve Swell, Darius Jones, Michael Formanek, Maria Chavez and Country Western Improv group with Skulí Sverrison, Ryan Sawyer, C Spencer Yeh, Beverly Keys, and Patrick Holmes.
John Butcher will perform his new work "The Geometry of Sentiment," a set of new pieces for acoustic and amplified saxophone developed for the distinctive acoustic space of ISSUE Project Room's new theater. Joined by Twistycat, the bass woodwinds brainchild of Ed Bear and Lea Bertucci.
"Histories" is a new collaborative evening-length work by Sleeping Giant, a companion piece to L’Histoire du Soldat that examines and contrasts our personal histories with Stravinsky’s seminal 1924 work.
Legendary pianist and poet Cecil Taylor is one of the greatest improvisers in the history of modern jazz. A Brooklynite for thirty years now, Cecil Taylor performs a spellbinding solo evening in his “back yard” at ISSUE Project Room’s unique new historic Downtown Brooklyn theater.
In this evening dedicated to Cecil Taylor’s mastery and influence, virtuoso pianist Thollem McDonas will perform solo and with bass clarinetist Arrington de Dionyso, followed by a set from the thunderous percussionist and powerhouse bandleader William Hooker, joined by Mark Hennen, Larry Roland and Matt Lavelle.
"Pastor Pasture" is a revolving expanse of glory and shame. Through research into aural and visceral structures, this work harnesses the performers in all its queerness–as soft, ecstatic, plural, unknown and full of desire.
ISSUE Project Room presents a rare live performance with Klyd and Linda Watkins, co-founders of Poetry Out Loud-- a series of ten LPs released between 1969 and 1977 as a sort of “magazine of oral poetry.” Joined special guests Tom Carter, Keith Connolly, Dave Nuss and Messages.