New Music Chicago presenting Impromptu Fest | New Music // New Connections

Date: Tuesday, Spetember 12, 2023

Time: 5PM

Tickets: Free Admission - RSVP below!

About Impromptu Fest 2023: 

Chicago, Illinois, July 11 2023 — New Music Chicago is excited to announce the fourth edition of Impromptu Fest: “New Music // New Connections,” a showcase of contemporary and experimental music being made in Chicago today, presented in collaboration with Epiphany Center For The Arts, Elastic Arts, and High Concept Labs.

Following presentations in 2018, 2019, and 2021, this year’s program marks a major expansion of scale for the “plucky upstart festival” (Chicago Classical Review): it will take place Tuesday, September 12 through Saturday, September 16, presenting 15 performances ranging from solo performances to chamber music and ensemble acts representing the scope of New Music Chicago membership and beyond.

All performances are free to the public, with donations accepted. The full schedule of events and their locations are listed below, and at www.impromptufest.org. 

"This year's Impromptu Fest is brimming with new faces, new relationships, and of course, new music! We are thrilled to have expanded to include multiple venue partners and a multitude of new members to New Music Chicago. Their energy, creativity, and wide-ranging variety of sound will be in the forefront at this invigorating new music festival," says former NMC president Amy Wurtz, who serves as the lead curator and organizer of the festival along with Alyson Berger and Ben Zucker

Impromptu Fest is a production of New Music Chicago, and is presented with support from the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

Tuesday, September 12

Impromptu Fest begins at Epiphany Center for the Arts, kicking off with Holly Roadfeldt performing Anthony Lanman’s Hommages, piano vignettes for artists ranging from John Dowland to Hayao Miyazaki to Frank Zappa. The up-and-coming Codex Trio (Amanda Beaune, violin; Zaira Castillo, piano; Isidora Nojkovic, cello) injects the classical piano trio with improvisational energy through a mixture of composed and indeterminate pieces, including works by Peter Kramer, Pauline Oliveros, and the late Kaija Saariaho. Finally, the Sapphire Wind Quintet continues its dedicated exploration of female composers with works by Valerie Coleman, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, current Chicago resident Devin Clara Fanslow, and an arrangement of work by historic Chicago native Florence Price.

Thursday, September 14

The festival returns to the Epiphany Center for the Arts’ for their Golden Hour series, beginning with “Intra-Acts” by the Masso Saxophone Quartet, a program of original commissions including Chicago-area composers Shi-an Costello, Wan Heo, Leo Discenza, and Mya Vandegrift. Violinist Tricia Park then showcases solo repertoire “From Bach to BTS”, with works by Park, Anthony Cheung, August Read Thomas, George Walker, Chen Yi, and Isang Yun in between the two more familiar names. Finally, guest artists D-Composed headline the evening with a special set, including a premiere by Tomeka Reid commissioned by NMC and the Ear Taxi Festival.