Constellation is delighted to announce the line-up for Frequency Festival 2025, which runs at Constellation, the Renaissance Society, and the Gray Center for Arts and Inquiry between Tuesday, February 18 and Sunday, February 23. The festival debuted in 2016 as an extension of the acclaimed Frequency Series, a weekly program of contemporary and experimental music at Constellation that has become an integral showcase for the city’s burgeoning new music community and touring international artists since it began in April of 2013. As with the 2023 edition of the festival, everything happens Constellation except for Saturday’s performances by Angharad Davies at the Gray Center and Mariam Rezaei & Pat Thomas at Bond Chapel
The fest launches at Constellation on February 18 with the Chicago debut John McCowen’s Mundanas project with fellow reedist Madison Greenstone (TAK Ensemble), while the dream team pairing of the Varo String Quartet and ~Nois will join forces for the world premiere of Poetics of Space Translation Symmetry, a spatialized work using just intonation by Chicago composer Noah Jenkins. On Wednesday, February 19 Chicago percussion ensemble Beyond This Point, one of the most imaginative and performative new music groups at work, present world premiere pieces from David Bird and Julie Zhu, while the spectacular pianist Mabel Kwan—a long-time member of Ensemble Dal Niente who’s been increasingly working in improvised music contexts—gives a rare solo recital including works by Isang Yun, Andile Khumalo, Lei Liang, Tania Leon, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.
Chicago favorites Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society perform a new work with its Community Ensemble, featuring the horns of Josh Berman, Ari Brown, Ben Lamar Gay, Nick Mazzarella, and Mai Sugimoto complementing the bass clarinet of Jason Stein and the harmonium swells of Lisa Alvarado. The remarkable New York-based improviser Zosha Warpeha makes her Chicago debut with a set of ravishing meditations on the Hardanger d’amore, a variant of the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, an instrument lush with overtones emanating from an addition set of strings resonating beneath the bridge. On Friday, February 22 Mivos Quartet make their overdue return to Constellation with a striking new program featuring recent work written for them by Ambrose Akinmusire and Ingrid Laubrock and the Chicago premiere of a quintet work by Chicago’s own Alex Mincek, featuring guitarist Nadav Lev. Percussionist Ian Antonio—a core member of Wet Ink Ensemble and former members of the Zs and Yarn/Wire—opens the evening with a program of solo percussion works by the brilliant Swiss composer Jürg Frey, including the world premiere of Tender Outermost Melodies.
On Saturday, February 22, the action moves to Hyde Park for a mini-fest within the fest at the University Chicago. The brilliant Welsh violinist and improviser Angharad Davies makes her Chicago debut giving a typically ineffable solo performance at 6 PM at the Gray Center, which generously co-presents the event. At 8 PM, following a short pause for a snack or drink, the Renaissance Society co-presents the US debut of Mariam Rezaei and pianist Pat Thomas at Bond Chapel. Rezaei is a UK turntablist who’s worked with the likes of Matthew Schlomowtiz, Mette Rasmussen, and a groundbreaking trio with Evicshen and Maria Chavez. Thomas is one Europe’s most powerful improvisers and pianists—and a driving force of the critically acclaimed quarter [Ahmed]—and this performance marks his US debut. Both events are free.
The fest concludes on Sunday, February 23, with Chicago’s beloved Ensemble Dal Niente returning to its traditional closing night set. This year the group will give world premieres of pieces created by some of EDN’s most beloved collaborators, Aida Shirazi and Hilda Paredes. The program also includes compositions by Darlene Castro and Karola Obermüller.
Frequency Festival 2025 is generously supported by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.