Master Percussionist Vincent Davis brings his Percussion Plus band to OPTION, featuring Edward Wilkerson on saxophones, Jim Baker on piano, Micah Collier on bass, and Vincent Davis on drums and percussion.
Lula Asplund performs a solo set in her first appearance on the OPTION stage.
DoYeon Kim performs "Silk Echoes Beneath the Light," an improvisational work that explores the intricate resonance of the 12-string gayageum, weaving through light and space.
In this concert Bill MacKay and Cooper Crain visit where BCMC has been as a band and explores where they’re going, featuring work that is both composed and improvisational.
Joe Westerlund performs electroacoustic percussion pieces from past and forthcoming records with improvisations.
Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi performs on the OPTION stage for the first time.
Chia Amisola performs an experimental ambient atmosphere in PAGASA, which uses historical & real-time climate data provide the basis of sound, image, & samples in a simulation of the tropics, going from its mythological formations to future geographies.
THIS PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN POSTPONED.
The OPTION 2025 season kicks off with Potliquor, a new experimental duo with pianist Sharon Udoh and turnablist Allen Moore.
A rare ensemble performance by Dave Rempis, Tomeka Reid, & Joshua Abrams, whose voices intertwine seamlessly into one multi-headed unit.
Chris Williams (trumpet/electronics) and Trae Crudup (percussion) debut their newly formed duo on the OPTION stage.
Brittany Karlson performs a solo bass set aided by balloons and a tiny glockenspiel. This cross-genre bassist will perform a largely improvised set featuring interspersed melodies by Duke Ellington, Thelonius Monk, and original compositions.
This OPTION performance is part of an ongoing collaboration in psychic dialog between claire and Kim which includes personal ephemera, field recordings, poetry, and new visualisations created in partnership with Nilor AI.
Join us for poet John Yau’s debut on the OPTION stage!
Brandon will present new works for solo Banjo and 12-string electric guitar.
OPTION presents FLUTTER, the duo project of Fay Victor and Nicole Mitchell for voices, flute and electronics, with bassist/vocalist Devon Gates joining for a portion of the set.
For his OPTION debut Nick Dunston performs “banjer,“ an experimental electro-acoustic solo project that seeks to explore alternative approaches and contexts to the banjo.
Composer/Filmmaker Jake Meginsky performs a set of solo modular improvisations.
Join ESS for a solo performance by Dorothy Carlos on cello and electronics.
Iconic improvisors and bassists Luke Stewart and Joshua Abrams open OPTION’s 10th Season.
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.
