Ear Taxi Festival Announces Anchor Performances
August 1, 2025 (Chicago, IL) —Ear Taxi Festival ’25: The Composer’s Voice, the Midwest’s largest celebration of new and experimental music, is returning to Chicago this fall for the first time since 2021. Organizers have just released the full lineup for this multi-week event, which will present 24 curated concerts featuring over 500 artists in large-scale and intimate formats at venues across Chicagoland. The festival will showcase the new work of dozens of Illinois composers during its run, which begins on October 3 and continues through November 2. In all, 27 world-premiere commissions will be debuted for Chicago audiences.
Guided by the theme of “The Composer’s Voice,” Ear Taxi Festival will present a rich variety of concerts featuring singers, choirs, chamber musicians, and orchestras - all committed to exploring the expressive power of the human voice and its interplay with instruments to tell stories that matter. The festival organizers have created four primary event categories:
● Anchor Performances - operatic, orchestral, and other large-scale works by notable musical artists
● Composer Showcases – presenting the world premieres of 22 commissions by pairing Illinois composers with three local performance ensembles and a fourth concert with voice and piano
● Taxi Performances – spotlighting bold musical thinking and rich artistic diversity performed by 17 Illinois-based chamber ensembles selected from nearly 100 applicants
● Accent Concerts – additional performances by local artists and ensembles united by the festival's theme
Ear Taxi Festival is a program of New Music Chicago. It is the largest contemporary concert music festival in the Midwest. Founded in 2016 and presented again in 2021, the festival returns to Chicago in October. In addition to 24 curated performances, Ear Taxi Festival also offers professional development opportunities for members of the music community. These include networking events, panel discussions, jam sessions, open rehearsals, and other gatherings designed to unite Chicago’s new music community and connect composers, performers, educators, and audiences.
Ticket sales for most events go live on Friday, August 8. Tickets for many performances are available at no cost, but festival organizers highly recommend reserving seats in advance. Special student pricing is offered for Ear Taxi Festival’s anchor events.
Ear Taxi Festival’s Performances will feature artists including:
● Bella Voce on October 3 – Chicago’s premier chamber vocal ensemble Bella Voce opens the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival with “Lost Objects,” a genre-defying oratorio by the visionary founders of Bang on a Can. Combining choir, electronics, and modern themes, this performance launches the festival’s theme – The Composer’s Voice – by exploring what “new music” truly means today.
● William Ferris Chorale and DePaul Ensemble 20+ on October 11 – Two ensembles with specific interest in performing works by living composers join forces for a special concert! William Ferris Chorale and DePaul Ensemble 20+ will present the Midwest premiere of Christopher Tin’s “The Lost Birds.” Tin is a Grammy Award-winning composer who has won international recognition for his work in concert and video game music, including Baba Yetu and To Shiver the Sky. This concert also features a mid-show interview with Christopher Tin himself!
● Chicago Fringe Opera on October 17 – One-act chamber operas by composers Regina Harris Baiocchi, Jasmine Barnes, and Kate Soper will be performed by Chicago Fringe Opera, an alt opera company dedicated to presenting innovative vocal works with an emphasis on new and contemporary styles.
● Dual Premieres of New Works by Composers Stacy Garrop and Damien Geter on October 18 – Grammy-nominated pianist Marta Aznavoorian will present the world premiere of Invictus, a piano concerto by Stacy Garrop, an acclaimed composer whose works have been performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Then, Damien Geter, a composer who infuses classical music with various styles from the Black diaspora, will present the Midwest premiere of “An African American Requiem” performed by the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra and the historic Apollo Chorus of Chicago.
Geter has also been tapped as Ear Taxi Festival’s first-ever Composer-in-Residence. Throughout the festival, Geter will facilitate open lectures, discussion, and residencies with institutions like the University of Illinois and the People’s Music School, offering insight into the festival’s theme and his experience as a contemporary composer.
“We are thrilled to present a festival that not only elevates internationally renowned voices but also shines a spotlight on the incredible creative energy right here in Illinois,” said Tim Corpus, Executive Director of Ear Taxi Festival. “This year’s lineup is bold, boundary-pushing, and deeply rooted in community.”
Ear Taxi Festival’s Artistic Director LaRob K. Rafael added, “’The Composer’s Voice’ isn’t just a theme. It’s a call to listen. This festival invites us to question the active definition of ‘new music’ and be curious about the ways contemporary composers are telling stories through this medium. Chicago is rich with diverse and expressive music. We welcome it all.”