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 is pleased to stream the debut collaboration between Poughkeepsie-based Joe McPhee and Tokyo-based composer Taku Unami. Despite having never worked together previously, both artists share a similarly liberated approach through their expansive individual discographies and various collaborations.
ISSUE’s inaugural Artist Fund culminates in our online Benefit on October 21st, streaming at 8pm EST. The event features a host of new audiovisual works from Jim O'Rourke, Sarah Hennies + a collaboration between past and present Artists-In-Residence Holland Andrews, Jeremy Toussaint-Baptiste & Will Rawls.
Artists-In-Residence 2020
Writer and performer Justin Allen continues his 2020 ISSUE residency with the premiere of Drums. The third performance of the series, Drums will feature drumming by drummer, composer and producer Savannah Harris.
Writer and performer Justin Allen continues his 2020 ISSUE residency with the premiere of Bass. The second performance of the series, will feature electric bass by multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist Taja Cheek.
Writer and performer Justin Allen continues his 2020 ISSUE residency with the premiere of Guitar, a performance stemming from ongoing research into how to emulate, experiment with, and better understand the performance practices of punk singers.
ISSUE is pleased to stream a performance from Heroes Are Gang Leaders, literary free jazz ensemble of writers, artists and musicians as a part of the Brooklyn Book Festival. Featuring an expansive fourteen member band, the performance features the full line up as well as multiple embedded solos and ensemble formations.
Artists-In-Residence 2020
John McCowen continues his 2020 ISSUE residency with a streamed performance of compositions from his duo with clarinetist Madison Greenstone. The stream includes premieres of new works from the Mundanas book as well as selections from 2018’s Mundanas I-V released by Edition Wandelweiser.
Artists-In-Residence 2020
2020 ISSUE Artist-In-Residence Holland Andrews presents Seraph (Muthertongue), a new vocal and electronic performance streamed from ISSUE’s 22 Boerum theater. With emotionality at the core of their compositional style, Andrews is known for expansive works which combine voice and instrumental performance.