Bassist and composer James Ilgenfritz (2011 AIR) returns to ISSUE, joined by Joe McPhee and AC Diamond for their first performance as a trio. This event marks a new shared context for three artists deeply invested in improvisation as a mode of inquiry.
ISSUE presents the premiere of three audiovisual compositions by Matt Mottel (2010 AIR). These works bring Mottel’s distinct artistic sensibility into dialogue with formative figures in his life and in New York’s avant-garde, tracing a lineage that is both deeply personal and central to ISSUE’s history.
Monarch Butterfly by rocío sánchez (2026 AIR) features 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.
Isabella Thorpe-Woods presents "Envelop/e," her second program as ISSUE’s 2026 Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow. Bringing together choreographers Jade Manns and Ella Dawn W-S for site-specific duets, they navigate presence and absence, repetition and rupture, and the tension between inherited geometries and shifting landscapes.
"Spiriting Off" is a new solo work by luthier Webb Crawford (2026 AIR) for electric guitar, tenor banjo, and five-string banjo.
ISSUE closes the summer season with the return of Matana Roberts (2009 AIR). Opening the evening, Ben Vida (2013 AIR) will perform music from his 2026 release, "Oblivion Seekers" with vocalist Sara Magenheimer.
ISSUE and AvanTokyo are pleased to present the solo US debut of Japanese cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto. The evening will also feature a duo presentation from musicians Kato Hideki & Zeena Parkins, which will take place at Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Join ISSUE in collaboration with NYU Tandon School of Engineering for a special artist talk with Negativland, moderated by NYU’s Academic Director of Integrated Design & Media, Scott Fitzgerald.
Returning to the First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn Heights, ISSUE’s 2024 Winter Season Opening welcomes sonic outlaws and multimedia collective Negativland for the NYC premiere of their work WE CAN REALLY FEEL LIKE WE’RE HERE. Local vocalist and producer Maralie Armstrong-Rial as VALISE will present a multimedia project.
A diverse array of twenty artists come together in An Improvisational Symphony to close ISSUE's 20th Anniversary Season, coordinated by vocalist and longtime ISSUE friend, Suzanne Langille. The celebratory concert is split into four movements, each representing a traditional element that will inspire groups of five musicians to present 20-minutes of improvised sounds.
ISSUE is pleased to present a final performance from 2023 ISSUE Artist-In-Residence Keke Hunt (Just The Right Height). Hunt’s live set builds upon the ongoing project with collaborator Ben Mendelewicz utilizing motion capture data recorded with choreographer Charlton Diaz, and 3D avatar backup dancers designed by Shahan Assadourian and Mendelewicz.
Tuesday, December 5th at the organization's 22 Boerum Pl. theater, ISSUE is pleased to invite Members and special guests to a reception featuring a performance from Loren Connors and a conversation with Suzanne Langille. The event precedes ISSUE’s celebratory year-end concert: An Improvisational Symphony: coordinated by Suzanne Langille.
Artists-In-Residence 2023
ISSUE is pleased to present the third iteration of Solve et Coagula → عيب from 2023 ISSUE Artist-In-Residence BINT. The project builds to its conclusion with a final work premiering at NYU Brooklyn’s “The Garage” space.
ISSUE in partnership with AvanTokyo is pleased to present a solo performance by legendary Fluxist artist Yasunao Tone at Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The evening also features a duo presentation by experimental musicians Marcia Bassett & Bob Bellerue, working in improvised processes.