The world premiere of Chicago Bagatelles Project features twelve short works for solo saxophone performed by Phil Pierick and commissioned by Chicago-based composers who have drawn inspiration from the arts, science, nature, and the city itself. Contributing composers are Carlos Bandera, Baldwin Giang, Jonathan Hannau, Molly Jones, David Clay Mettens, Osnat Netzer, Paul Novak, Shawn Okpebholo, Phil Pierick, Sean Shepherd, Augusta Read Thomas, and Ania Vu. Alongside the Bagatelles, the program is completed with chamber works featuring soprano Kristina Bachrach (the Chicago premiere of Rädda mig ur dyn by Karin Rehnqvist), flutist Sasha Ishov (in Marcos Balter’s Strohbass), and the other half of Isotope Duo, percussionist Kyle Flens (in Amy Williams’ Child’s Play) as well as an audience-participation "sing-along" version of Luciano Berio's Sequenza VIIb filling acoustic of the museum’s Hall of Immortals.

cosmia opera collective presents "moth songs ii: thresholds", a continuation of our fundraiser concert series premiering art songs written by northwestern composers for northwestern vocalists. these works, written for voice, piano and/or electronics, have the option of using an original text written by the composer/singer/both, or a public domain text that resonates with both artists and fits this year's themes of thresholds and liminality.

Pianist Daniel Baer brings the music of Robert Savage (1951-1993) to Chicago. Robert Savage, a queer composer who died from complications due to AIDS in 1993, is a largely unknown artist whose music is unpublished and rarely performed. This concert presents Savage’s music from his earliest works to those that he wrote after his AIDS diagnosis in 1988. Savage’s late compositions grapple with his AIDS diagnosis and mortality, reflect his practice of Zen Buddhism, and demonstrate the unique synthesis of popular and academic musical trends that led John Ashbery to describe him as “a serious and very talented musicologist and composer.” Listen to the evolution of a unique American artist composing music of unparalleled and urgent intensity.

The CCPA Contemporary Ensemble presents a bold evening of recent works that explore sound, texture, and atmosphere in strikingly original ways. From Tim Corpus’ shimmering A Light Divided and Kyong Mee Choi’s evocative Im Nebel, to Matt Mason’s visceral Downhill from Breathing, the program highlights diverse voices shaping today’s musical landscape. Clarice Assad’s Lemuria brings a driving energy with its unique scoring for cello choir and percussion, while Ben Zucker’s Grass Has Grown Into Your Cities offers a powerful reflection on environment and community. The program also features a movement from Jonathan Hannau’s Three Pieces for Orchestra, showcasing the imaginative artistry of a CCPA alumnus.

Enjoy all-new repertoire for our trio, the pNeXT Ensemble. New music outside of the academic mold is performed by a trio of horn, cello, and piano. The performers studied at DePaul and New England Conservatory.

Join composition faculty members, Osnat Netzer  and Christopher Wendell Jones for a concert of new and recent original work. The program includes solos and duos featuring DePaul voice faculty member, Chuck Chandler and guest artists, Ben Roidl-Ward (bassoon), Isidora Nojkovic (cello), and Sarah Plum (viola), with Netzer and Jones each performing at the piano.

This concert follows the September 12 release of the CD Myths and Accidents by Divine Art/Diversions Records. It features three Lofstrom song cycles, Myths and Accidents, All Must End and Three Sandburg Songs, the last of which will be a world premiere. Several of the songs are based on lyrics by Alan Robert Day, a longtime Lofstrom collaborator and Chicago native. Other songs are based on poems by Edna St. Vincent Millay, Thomas Traherne, Herman Melville and of course, Carl Sandburg.

The first concert of the 2025 Dunbar Festival of Early Music. The Festival celebrates the works of Orlando Gibbons and John Dowland. In addition to works by these two composers, BCE offers contemporary riffs on their music, including a world premiere by Chicago composer Stacy Garrop.

Vox femina - The Woman's Voice, presents works that reflect ideas and images of particular women but have a universal view. Regina Baiocchi's pieces, Nourish, Things Change, and I've Got a Mother, reflect African American culture and traditions. Kyong Mee Choi's video, Quietly, is based on a poem by the composer on the death of her father. Janice Misurell-Mitchell's O Sapientia, for flute/alto flute and electronics uses a recording of the antiphon by Hildegard von Bingen to reflect on humanity's loss of wisdom. Patricia Morehead's Altered Reality,for oboe, bass oboe, and electronics uses visual images created by her late sister, Sheryl Ann Noonan, a talented painter and sculptor. Her piece will also feature Alex Klein, former principal oboe in the Chicago Symphony. Ester Hana's piece, Untitled is brings a jazz inflection to our program. Our guest composer Africa Brown presents an upbeat celebration of womanhood through song and percussive dance.

“Überhip” (Entertainment Weekly) 20-member band Alarm Will Sound takes on music from the arch-modernist to the pop-influenced. Committed to innovative performances and recordings of today’s music, Alarm Will Sound has been associated since its inception with composers at the forefront of contemporary music, premiering pieces by the likes of Steve Reich, Meredith Monk, and David Lang. The group itself includes many composer-performers, giving them an unusual insight into the creation and performance of new works. This “stylistically omnivorous” (The Log Journal) ensemble returns to Logan Center this October to perform and record two works by UChicago Professor of Composition, Hans Thomalla.

The prime objective of my work is to create grass roots-level conversations that can lead to building bridges and creating communities to address critical societal issues. I believe our country is suffering from an ever-increasing wealth gap, a politically divided nation, and an overall feeling of uncertainty. I hope my piece stimulates thought and inspires action. Collectively, people have a stronger voice than individuals and can improve our civic life. Now is the time to bring people together, especially reaching out to those who have been underrepresented in the past.

This month's NMCP features the concert premiere of "The Magnificent Misdeeds of Madame Blanc", an operetta by Paul Scherer with a libretto by Germaine Shames.

The members of Rising are realizing a dream of performing in an all-female quartet and presenting a sampling of wide-ranging styles of music by women, from the complex harmonies mixed with music derived from Black idioms in one of Florence Price’s most adventurous and emotionally-charged works, to Caroline Shaw’s vision of a Haydn minuet and trio through “Alice’s looking glass”.

A 75-minute celebration of Argentinian American composer Gustavo Leone featuring works for trumpet, electronics and string quartet with Artistic Director trumpeter Stephen Burns

Fantastic musical journeys and stories seduction, healing, and awakenings in a program by international viola soloist Michael Hall in Chicago's oldest library: the Blackstone Memorial Library. This program features world and Chicago premieres by composers Jonathan Hannau, Nico Muhly, Michelle McQuade Dewhirst, Narong Prangcharoen (Thailand), Adrian Gordon, Alexandra Clearfield, Paul Coletti, and Michael Hall. Join Michael Hall in an evening of ranging from exquisite exhales to adrenaline rushes. Plus, experience the eye-candy of Chicago's oldest and most ornate library.  

Dal Niente opens its 20th Chicago Season with the return of Hard Music, Hard Liquor. Have a cocktail (or a mocktail, ‘cause it’s 2025) and enjoy some virtuosic music by some of the ensemble's favorite composers, including George Lewis, Hilda Paredes, Roscoe Mitchell, and more. Founding clarinetist Alejandro Acierto will perform the solo from which the group derives its name: Dal niente (Intérieur III).

This culminating concert of the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival features the world premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Invictus and Midwestern premiere of Damien Geter’s powerful An African American Requiem. These works reflect the festival’s theme The Composer’s Voice, showcasing bold, contemporary perspectives through piano, chorus, and orchestra for a moving, modern musical experience.

Chicago Fringe Opera presents powerful works by Kate Soper, Regina Harris Baiocchi, and Jasmine Barnes. Myth, memory, and community come alive in this genre-defying evening of short operas that amplify the voices of women composers and celebrates storytelling through bold, inclusive, and emotionally rich new music.

Lakeshore Rush premieres new works by Illinois composers. Natasha Bogojevic writes a meditation on the effects of gun violence. Xavier Beteta weaves songs in an ancient Mayan language.  Angel Bat Dawid writes about the Catacombs. Ethan Dymit’s “Child’s Play” uses nursery rhymes as a starting point.

Hammer & Bow features the Flannau Duo and Quijote Duo, bringing together viola, cello, piano, and percussion in a unique exploration of co-creation and unifying musical forces. Awakening by Picosa, inspired by James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake, delves into themes of death, rebirth, and renewal across political, historical, and social dimensions, offering a transformative musical journey into emergence and change.

Lawyers for the Creative Arts joins Ear Taxi Festival for a special discussion all about contracts for creatives. Odell Mitchell III brings his expertise to present best practices for artists when contracting or being contracted.

Ear Taxi Festival and Pleiades join forces to present a specially curated house band for the event, followed by our signature Pleiades Jam Session. The jam is open to all participants, with advance sign-up available to ensure space and avoid exceeding capacity.

Join LaRob K. Rafael in conversation with acclaimed Chicago-based composers Damien Geter and Stacy Garrop for Dissolving Paradigms, a webinar exploring the Ear Taxi Festival’s 2025 theme: The Composer’s Voice. Taking the phrase both literally and metaphorically, the discussion will dive into how today’s composers use their music to speak to our world, and how they are incorporating the human voice into their creative work. This candid dialogue will offer audiences a rare opportunity to hear directly from two leading voices shaping 21st-century music, just days before the culminating performance of the festival on October 18th featuring the world premiere of Stacy Garrop’s Invictus, Piano Concerto No. 1, and Damien Geter’s monumental An African American Requiem. Don’t miss this chance to hear from two living Chicago composers whose music confronts, uplifts, and transforms.

Paul Novak’s youth is an exploration of ghost stories as an inherently queer genre, imagining haunting as a metaphor for queer trauma. Liza Sobel Crane's Worth demonstrates how handling hardships creates character. Blair Boyd writes about being apart from the place you know. Eric Malmquist sets Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte's "Hawk Hour.” Asher Sizemore writes Everyone Dies in the Gender Reveal Apocalypse. Paradoxical Ode, from Andrei Skorobogatykh, is a poem about science, universe and death. Bliss, from Bradley Robin transforms from wanting to having and from innocence to wisdom, through a lyrical and musical journey inspired by Sondheim, Scriabin, Salvador Dali, and Santa Claus.

Join the music community for some fun pre-show networking. Get to know your fellow composers, performers, and music lovers.

Fonema Consort’s Desire Paths features experimental works by contemporary Latin American composers, blending noise-driven textures with expressive chamber music. Works by Darlene Castro, Carlos Zarate, Michele Abonado, and Juan Campoverde highlight dynamic, raw soundscapes. Emigre and Exile by Arcomusical and Krissy Bergmark explores global migration through dance music rooted in African aesthetics, with music by Matt Ulery and others. Midwestern Tongues by Stare at the Sun uncovers underappreciated choral works from composers across the American Midwest.

A stunning choral-orchestral elegy by Christopher Tin, The Lost Birds honors extinct species and the fragile beauty of nature. Featuring William Ferris Chorale and DePaul’s Ensemble 20+, this concert blends musical storytelling with environmental reflection—perfect for educators, composers, and all who believe in music's power to move and inspire.

KAIA String Quartet premieres new works by Illinois composers. Rosśa Crean writes music for the tender moments between collapse and beginning again. Lee Kesselman’s musical meditation is a search for the personal side of prayer. Justin Weiss writes an exploration of our relationship with nature, time, and memory. Graham Meyer uses Sappho's poetic fragments, both in words and wordless song.

Libraries are excellent partners for the entrepreneurial composer. In this collaborative discussion, librarians Marci Cohen and Greg MacAyeal will describe the many benefits of library/composer partnerships.

Grammy award-winning composer Christopher Tin will talk to local students about work as a composer, including his piece “The Lost Birds” being performed by the William Ferris Chorale and DePaul University Ensemble 20+.