Dani Dobkin

Tuesday, October 28th at 8pm, ISSUE Project Room welcomes sound artists, composers, and educators Dani Dobkin and Amir ElSaffar to present new solo work for the Serge Modular synthesizer. This event follows ISSUE’s celebration of the Serge Modular synthesizer’s 50th anniversary in 2023, and the limited engagement with Thomas Ankersmit this past summer at Columbia University’s Computer Music Center. After the completion of 2025 residencies at the NYU Integrated Design & Media audio lab, Dobkin and ElSaffar (with special guest, R. Luke DuBois) perform at ISSUE’s home theater with one of the most powerful and versatile electronic instruments of the analog era. 

Dobkin, who recently took part in the 50th anniversary celebration of the Serge, has continued to take the synthesizer as “a wonderful mentor.” The artist has since released a live recorded album in 2024 titled Old Dutch Church with guitarist and collaborator, Matt Sargent. 

Dani Dobkin is a sound artist, composer, and educator based in New York City, Their work explores sound through modular synthesis, ceramics, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Their artistic practice often delves into themes of grief, decay, and ephemerality, creating immersive sonic environments that emphasize physical, kinetic, and auditory experiences. They work extensively with handmade instruments, live electronic improvisation, and sound installations. As an artist and composer, their work has been showcased at a variety of venues and galleries including ISSUE Project Room (NYC), Dimenna Center for the Arts (NYC), The Clay Studio (Philadelphia), Spectrum (NYC), Fridman Gallery (NYC), The Red Room (Baltimore, MD), The Wallach Gallery (NYC), The Rubin Museum (NYC), Public Records (NYC), Chronos Art Center (Shanghai), NextSunday (Tokyo), The Corcoran (D.C),  Constellation (Chicago, IL), and Little Berlin (Philadelphia).  Past and recent collaborators include Yarn/Wire, International Contemporary Ensemble, CT::SWaM, Qubit and Women in Sound. Dobkin received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Composition (2024) and an MFA in Sound Art (2017), both from Columbia University.  They are currently serving as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Electronic Music at Bard College and an Instructor in the Collaborative Arts/ Open Arts program at NYU.