Chicago musician and composer Erez Dessel performs a set of solo piano improvisations for his debut on the OPTION stage.
In one of his very first performances since moving to Chicago, multi-instrumentalist Will Greene presents a solo set and a trio set.
Join us for the OPTION debut of Devon Gates.
Experimental Sound Studio presents Cuban drummer Francisco Mela in rare Chicago solo performance.
Storyteller, songwriter, and musician Shanta Nurullah performs solo in the ESS garden for the first time.
Jaribu Shahid performs a series of solo bass improvisations & transcriptions paying homage to his mentors & Chicago bassists Malachi Favors.
Saxophonist Edward Wilkerson brings guitarist Joe Morris to Chicago to perform a duo set together for the first time.
Boston-based improviser Angela Sawyer performs an experimental set with electronics and voice, followed by a discussion.
Detroit-based saxophonist Kaleigh Wilder and drummer Ben Hall play a duo centered on material expressivity in the ESS garden.
Experimental Sound Studio presents gabby fluke-mogul in their in-person debut on the OPTION stage.
Ben Billington's Whisker is a project with longtime collaborator Andrew Scott Young focusing on synthesizer and double bass improvisations.
Saxophonist Sarah Clausen performs new work based on the experience of being both a musician and a laborer.
Experimental Sound Studio presents Cuban drummer Francisco Mela in rare Chicago solo performance.
Experimental Sound Studio partners with Patron Gallery to co-present the powerhouse trio of Fred Moten, Brandon López, and Gerald Cleaver. This performance and interview is presented at Patron Gallery, and will be premiered online on ESS's YouTube.
Join us at Grow Greater Englewood for a live outdoor performance by Endris Hassen + conversation with Kaethe Hostetter.
Experimental Sound Studio is excited to co-present Taalib-Din Ziyad & Mankwe Ndosi with Compound Yellow in an end-of-summer outdoor OPTION series program! Interview led by Ugochi Nwaogwugwu.
Experimental Sound Studio and Co-Prosperity present Christof Kurzmann & El Infierno Musical, an epic ensemble of Chicago musicians including Lily Finnegan, Katinka Kleijn, Lia Kohl, Christof Kurzmann, & Dave Rempis.
ESS brings its long running OPTION series to the Museum of Contemporary Photography with a performance by Damon Locks. The performance will take place amidst the current MoCP exhibition Beautiful Diaspora/You Are Not The Lesser Part, which also includes visual work by Locks. The performance will be followed by an interview.
Experimental Sound Studio welcomes Victoria Shen—performing as evicshen—to the OPTION series for the first time. This performance and interview kick off the series return to in-person programs.
OPTION Talks Music: Guilherme Granado
Option closes out the 2021 season with a performance by the great São Paulo based keyboardist and electronic musician Guilherme Granado.
OPTION Talks Music: Lauren Sarah Hayes
Meet Scottish improviser and sound artist Lauren Sarah Hayes. A sculptress of sound, Lauren’s exploration of the relationships between sound, space and audience have been described as ‘tantalising, engaging physically with the listener’ by the Herald Scotland. In conversation with Ken Vandermark
OPTION Talks Music: Cecilia Lopez and Joe Moffett
Meet Cecilia Lopez (composer/multimedia artist) and Joe Moffett (trumpeter/improviser)—in their duo, they explore methods of distorting, deconstructing, and merging their instruments in unconventional ways.
OPTION Talks Music: Ishmael Ali Catalan Zghoul
Ishmael Ali is a first generation Filipino-Arab-American cellist, guitarist, improviser, composer, and electronic artist currently residing in Chicago. His work centers on exploring sound through improvisation, experimentation, collaboration, as well as a wide array of idiomatic approaches in an ever-changing, always-growing list of projects with diverse focuses and influences.
OPTION Talks Music: Karen Ng
Meet the saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Karen NG who’s wide ranging work includes collaborations with internationally acclaimed groups Do May Say Think and LCON as well as involvement in several improvised music ensembles in Toronto, CA including the Rob Clutton trio, p2p, and Kind Mind.
OPTION Talks Music: JayVe Montgomery
Meet the sound artist, improviser and multi- instrumentalist JayVe Montgomery. Currently residing in Nashville after years of involvement in Chicago’s fertile creative music scene, including artist in residence and curator at the Brown Rice Gallery (2008-12). JayVe has since taken his versatile and highly focused sonic visions to his new home where he has become an important member of the city and region’s experimental music scene.
OPTION Talks Music: Axel Dörner
Option is pleased to present one of the leading figures in free music to the series for the very first time. Trumpeter, composer and electronic musician Axel Dörner has, since the late 1990’s, developed his own unique language for trumpet, has influenced countless improvising musicians from all over the world, and has collaborated, recorded and toured with an astounding array of artists and ensembles. This is an Option presentation that you certainly don’t want to miss!
Option Talks Music: Silke Eberhard
Option welcomes the Berlin based saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Silke Eberhard for a discussion and presentation of her creative ideas and wide- ranging work which includes improvised encounters in small and large group ensembles, dance theater and visual arts.
OPTION Talks Music: Quin Kirchner
Meet the versatile and highly prolific drummer, composer and improvisor Quin Kirchner. Based in Chicago, Quin has worked within an astounding array of musical styles both a leader and sideman and has earned the position of being a first call drummer for many of the leading figures in contemporary music, both from Chicago and beyond. His recent recording “The Shadows and The Light” which was released to wide acclaim on Astral Spirits/Spacetone offers a superb example of his innovative and personal approach to the art of sonic exploration, composition, arranging and performance.
OPTION Talks Music: Clayton Thomas
Option is pleased to present Australian bassist, improviser and organizer Clayton Thomas for a performance and conversation focusing on his multifaceted and inventive approach to organizing sound, as well as his decades long experience working with many of the finest artists connected to the European, North American and Australian improvised music scenes.
OPTION Talks Music: Jessica Ackerley
Option welcomes the versatile guitarist, composer, and bandleader Jessica Ackerley for a performance and discussion about her approach to sound, artist collaborations, recent recordings, and more.
