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 Harvestworks present acclaimed sonicist, composer, and biologist Francisco López making a rare NY appearance, his first at ISSUE since 2014. The evening also features composer, performer, and kinetic installation artist Michael Theodore's “Sound Houses (i)”, the first in a series inspired by Francis Bacon.
ISSUE, in partnership with the Center for Italian Modern Art, presents an evening of experimental opera. The program features the first American re-staging of Alberto Savinio’ avant-garde operetta Les chants de la mi-mort and the NYC premiere of the latest scene in Nick Hallett’s serial opera, To Music.
Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellowship 2018
For their second program as the 2018 Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow, Queer Trash is elated to present Black Leather Jesus, (A)sex, Mad Recital, and Rachika S. Queer Trash turns to refuse in both senses of the word: refuse of discarded detritus, and refuse as in “no fucking way.”
ISSUE is thrilled to present a rare U.S. performance from celebrated Argentinian artist Horacio Vaggione, composer of electroacoustic and computer-assisted music and pioneer of micromontage, granular synthesis, and microsound. The evening opens with a performance from 51717.
ISSUE presents slack-tuned, four-string wildman guitarist Bill Orcutt, unbound Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji, and Poughkeepsian creative jazz originary Joe McPhee. All three are tireless improvisers & solo performers -- each possessing an enduring aesthetic that’s as independent as it is profoundly empathic.
ISSUE is thrilled to present a talk with legendary composer, trumpeter, and conceptualist Jon Hassell, a hugely influential figure in modern electronic music and creator of the “Fourth World” aesthetic -- a graceful interface of deep tradition with new technologies. This is his first NYC appearance since 2009.
Regenerative Feedback: On Listening and Its Emancipatory Potential
Regenerative Feedback concludes with presentations by Dreamcrusher, writer/lecturer Sami Khatib, sound artist Neha Spellfish, editor Jon Lindblom, author Paul Rekret. The evening also features a performance from Flora Yin-Wong and Colin Self demonstrating Xhoir, a non-utilitarian choir.
Regenerative Feedback: On Listening and Its Emancipatory Potential
Regenerative Feedback continues, exploring the various ethical dimensions, historical circumstances, and cultural resonances of musical artifacts through a series of individual presentations, a roundtable conversation guided by a moderator, interlocuting performances, and extended Q&As.