SOMETHING ELSE vol. 3 - Hyvärinen/Smith
Jun
26
7:00 PM19:00

SOMETHING ELSE vol. 3 - Hyvärinen/Smith

Something Else Vol. 3 features the first duo evening of the series - Lauri Hyvärinen (electric guitar) and Wilson Tanner Smith (acoustic/amplified cello) meet for the first time for two sets of music across experimental improvisation and minimalist soundscapes.
Free entry, suggested donation €5-€20 (mobilepay or cash)
//
SOMETHING ELSE is a concert series for improvised music focused on new meetings of musicians from across Helsinki’s free improv, experimental, jazz, electronic, and global music communities, hosted at Kallio’s Musta Kissa bar. New small-ensemble groupings are highlighted each time, with an emphasis on surprise, difference, curiosity, energy, and connection. Hosted by Wilson Tanner Smith.
//
About:
LAURI HYVÄRINEN(b. 1986, Helsinki) uses guitar as his main sound source. His sound and music related activities are of theoretical and practical nature, of which improvisation remains as his primary medium and interest. Hyvärinen utilises the possibilities of improvisation, compositional and minimalist structures in search for shared and intensified social and spatial constructions.
https://laurihyvarinen.com/

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Jul
17
8:30 PM20:30

Mad Myth Science @ Elastic Arts

Wilson Tanner Smith with Mad Myth Science

Drummerless quartets feature on tonight’s Improvised Music Series, including a new group assembled by Christopher Dammann, and a rare appearance by Mad Myth Science, called “The next generation of Chicago Jazz” by the Quietus.

8:30 -
Christopher Dammann - bass
Robbie Lynn Hunsinger - oboe, saxophone, winds
Mabel Kwan - piano
Jason Stein - bass clarinet

9:30 - Mad Myth Science
Molly Jones - saxophones, flutes
Julian Otis - voice
Wilson Tanner Smith - cello
Ben Zucker - vibraphone, cornet
(all on additional little instruments)

$15 / $10 w/ Student ID -
Tickets Available at the Door

Mad Myth Science is the collective musical offering of Molly Jones, Julian Otis, Wilson Tanner Smith, and Ben Zucker. Their through-improvised performances present a rich cross-section of Chicago creativity, bringing experience in jazz and creative music, contemporary composition, electronics, and dance and theatrical performing arts together into a pageantry of sound and spontaneous rituals.

Their self-titled debut album, released in 2023 on Infrequent Seams, was featured in the Wire’s “Below The Radar” compilation, and described as “striking, and unlike anything else you’ll hear this year” (Phill Freeman, Stereogum).

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SOMETHING ELSE vol. 4 - Macdonel/Nieto/Smith + Jaranas del Norte
Jul
24
7:00 PM19:00

SOMETHING ELSE vol. 4 - Macdonel/Nieto/Smith + Jaranas del Norte

A Something Else mini-festival bridging improvised music, contemporary dance, and Mexican son jarocho music and percussive dance (zapateado) traditions. A double bill putting a trio (and maybe more) with Grisell Macdonel (bass) and Paola Nieto (dance, zapateado) alongside Jaranas del Norte, a Helsinki-based group playing the African/Caribbean/indigenous/Spanish-infused son jarocho music from Veracruz, Mexico
Free entry, suggested donation €5-€20 (mobilepay or cash)
//
SOMETHING ELSE is a concert series for improvised music focused on new meetings of musicians from across Helsinki’s free improv, experimental, jazz, electronic, and global music communities, hosted at Kallio’s Musta Kissa bar. New small-ensemble groupings are highlighted each time, with an emphasis on surprise, difference, curiosity, energy, and connection. Hosted by Wilson Tanner Smith.

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SOMETHING ELSE vol. 5 - Natalia Castrillón
Aug
28
7:00 PM19:00

SOMETHING ELSE vol. 5 - Natalia Castrillón

Natalia Castrillón guest hosts SOMETHING ELSE, presenting a rare solo set of improvisations and compositions for harp and voice
Free entry, suggested donation €5-€20 (mobilepay or cash)
//
SOMETHING ELSE is a concert series for improvised music focused on new meetings of musicians from across Helsinki’s free improv, experimental, jazz, electronic, and global music communities, hosted at Kallio’s Musta Kissa bar. New small-ensemble groupings are highlighted each time, with an emphasis on surprise, difference, curiosity, energy, and connection. Hosted by Wilson Tanner Smith.

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Aug
29
6:30 PM18:30

"We have gathered here today" - Night 1

"We have gathered here today" is a multimedia music-theatre performance rooted in gathering, expecting, presenting, projecting, waiting, and identifying. Who is this performer? Who is this audience? Why did [they] sit in [that] seat and not [that] one?

Exploding the framework of a cello recital which may or may not ever begin, its performer veers freely into psychological monologues, small talk, social media meditations, and data exhaustion. Sliding freely between the ordinary and the abstract, "we have gathered here today" playfully probes the social/systemic barriers and bridges involved in being your self, and in being strangers, here, together.

Created by Wilson Tanner Smith and Lucas Xerxes
Performance: Wilson Tanner Smith
Live Electronics: Viktor Toikkanen

//

Presented as part of the 2025 Ung Nordisk Musik Festival in Helsinki

Tickets: https://fienta.com/fi/s/unm-quick-touch-up

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Aug
29
6:30 PM18:30

"We have gathered here today" - Night 2

"We have gathered here today" is a multimedia music-theatre performance rooted in gathering, expecting, presenting, projecting, waiting, and identifying. Who is this performer? Who is this audience? Why did [they] sit in [that] seat and not [that] one?

Exploding the framework of a cello recital which may or may not ever begin, its performer veers freely into psychological monologues, small talk, social media meditations, and data exhaustion. Sliding freely between the ordinary and the abstract, "we have gathered here today" playfully probes the social/systemic barriers and bridges involved in being your self, and in being strangers, here, together.

Created by Wilson Tanner Smith and Lucas Xerxes
Performance: Wilson Tanner Smith
Live Electronics: Viktor Toikkanen

//

Presented as part of the 2025 Ung Nordisk Musik Festival in Helsinki

Tickets: https://fienta.com/fi/s/unm-quick-touch-up

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Jun
3
to Jun 29

Frequency Trio at Sasso Residency

In residence at the Sasso Residency in Vairano, a village in southern Switzerland with Reedist Keefe Jackson and movement artist Lindsay Hopkins developing a new project in improvised music & movement.

Events in the region including Lucerne (10 June), Zurich (12 June), and Locarno (22 June) — check back here or follow along on Facebook/Instagram for details here and there!

Support the project by donating at Fractured Atlas (tax-deductible)

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Dec
11
8:30 PM20:30

Joel Garcia STONE SOUP & Multi-discipline Free Improv Jam

Facebook Event Link

Chicago-based poet, musician, and multi-media artist Joel Garcia presents a mixed set of poetry and music supported by an international band of Tallinn-based improvisers and musicians. Interdisciplinary free improv jam to follow!

20:30 start time //
Free entrance-Pay what you wish //
Drinks and snacks available for purchase at Heldeke's bar //


- Joel Garcia: STONE SOUP
Poetry and improvised music
Supported by:
Aaron Gochberg (percussion),
Sebastián Tarazona Ruiz (saxophone),
Heliä Mailiis Viirakivi (flute, voice),
Gonzalo Muruaga Olguin (electric guitar),
Wilson Tanner Smith (cello)

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

- MUSIC/MOVEMENT/THEATRE FREE IMPROV JAM
"Perpetual Stew" long-form improv jam: performers are invited to join and leave the continuous set as the moment feels fit. Musicians, dancers, theatre artist, live painters, [whatever you fancy] are welcome to join this experiment in anarchic moment-making.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

- Mexican Boleros, Ballads & Rancheras performed by Joel Gacia peppered throughout the night.

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Dec
10
7:00 PM19:00

Improtest - Scott L. Miller / COPECO Collective

  • 9 Pühavaimu Tallinn, Harju maakond, 10123 Estonia (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Facebook Event Link

Set 1: Trio improvisations with COPECO Collective

Wilson Tanner Smith (USA/Finland)
Marianne Sihvonen (Finland)
Viktoria Sinkorova (Slovakia)
Inga Stenøien (Norway)
Matheus Souza de Freitas (Brasil)
Helena Atkin (UK)
Alicia Reyes (Spain)
Aaron Gochberg (USA)
Janine Monserat Jop-Quintero (Mexico)

Set 2: Scott L. Miller (USA)

Mustpaede Maja, Tallinn
19:00
Tickets 5/8€


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Wilson Tanner Smith's BIVOUAC Album Release and Farewell Party
Jul
16
7:30 PM19:30

Wilson Tanner Smith's BIVOUAC Album Release and Farewell Party

Join me for a show celebrating the digital release of EVERYTHING AT ONCE, a new album of solo cello improvisations released under my performing arts project, BIVOUAC.

Set 1: BIVOUAC

Set 2: Improvised music with
_ MOLLY JONES (sax, flute, etc)
+JULIAN OTIS (voice, etc)
~ NORMAN LONG (electronics)
* ADAM SHEAD (percussion)
^ WTS (cello, etc)

Join also for food from the wonderful Rosewood Tavern, drinks, and good times as I prepare to say Farewell For Now to Chicago and all its darlings in early-August. Would love to see you in some fashion! byob-friendly

Cheers,
WTS

Tickets $10-$15 or pay-what-you-can

Admission includes free album download - Everything at Once is available 7/16 on Bandcamp!

Facebook Event Page

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MAD MYTH SCIENCE at Compound Yellow's SIDE YARD SOUNDS
May
14
7:00 PM19:00

MAD MYTH SCIENCE at Compound Yellow's SIDE YARD SOUNDS

Please join us at the Compound Yellow for Side Yard Sounds 2022, featuring the creative music of Mad Myth Science and Family Junket!

Saturday, May 14th at 7pm:
244 Lake street
Oak Park, IL
BYOB
This performance will be held outside, space is limited so come early to reserve your seat.
$15 at the door, cash, Venmo and PayPal accepted, proceeds go to the artists.
Rain dates TBA

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MYTH CHAMBER EXPERIMENT with Stein/Spencer Duo
May
5
8:30 PM20:30

MYTH CHAMBER EXPERIMENT with Stein/Spencer Duo

Opening set by the Stein/Spencer Duo

Tickets $15 at the door

8:30 PM : STEIN/SPENCER DUO

Jason Stein - bass clarinet
Isaiah Spencer - drums

9:30 PM : MYTH CHAMBER EXPERIMENT

Molly Jones - saxophone
Wilson Tanner Smith - cello
Ben Zucker - vibraphone, trumpet

with

Norman Long - electronics
Lauren Hayes - harp

and

Jasmine Mendoza - dance
Joel Garcia - poetry

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Feb
13
7:30 PM19:30

with Molly Jones, Ben Zucker, Julian Otis at Slate Arts and Performance

  • Slate Arts and Performance (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Doors at 7:30, Music at 8pm
$5 - $10 suggested donation

Improvised music with Molly Jones (sax, flute, objects etc.), Julian Otis (voice +) and Ben Zucker (trumpet +)

On Facebook

————

Also featuring sets by:

Cooper Diers
Dan Hansen
Erica Miller
Craig Davis Pinson

&

Emily Beisel
Autumn Selover

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Jan
29
7:30 PM19:30

Co-MISSION Works in Progress Showing // Links Hall

An evening of 4 dance works-in-progress, including a duo performance with Corinne Imberski (dance)

Corinne Imberski:
the shadow comforts the body is a meditation on time and perspective, and the indelible marks that these leave on us as we experience life. This excerpt, a duet for cello and dance, explores the reflected - yet imperfect - image, and the emotional remnants of past interactions.

Facebook

Tickets $5-$8

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Nov
16
8:00 PM20:00

Jam on Albany no. 9

https://www.facebook.com/events/533434947480790/

Jam on Albany is an occasional apartment show where people are free to share their visual art, music, theater, dance, writing, and anything under the sun.
Hosted by Joel Garcia and Wilson Tanner Smith.

This edition featuring performances by:
Lesley Keller-Reed
Amelia Diehl
Mary Lewis / Scott Rubin / Wilson Tanner Smith
Joel Garcia
and more TBA

Doors open at 8pm and music starts at 9
Snacks and drinks will be present for all, but do BYOB too!

All are welcome -- feel free to share this event with whoever you fancy

Address to be shared closer to the day of, but we're not far from Albany and Argyle in Albany Park
---
If you'd like to share on a future jam, shoot me a message!

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Oct
18
7:00 PM19:00

with Kristina Isabelle, "SOME PEOPLE" (Every)Body Exhibition Opening

LIVE EXHIBITION OPENING NIGHT RECEPTION
Open to the Public
Friday, October 18, 2019
7:00-10:00pm
Bridgeport Art Center
1200 West 35th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60609
Third Floor Gallery
Chicago

Dance/Music performance begins at 9pm
Kristina Isabelle, dance
Wilson Tanner Smith, cello

More info at https://www.somepeopleeverybody.com/

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Oct
12
5:00 PM17:00

Hunters Moon Performance Happening - Kristina Isabelle's "Art in Nature" Series

Presented by Kristina Isabelle, Oct 12th will be the third annual Hunters Moon Dance Happening, a curated evening of dance and music on the Tryon Farms grounds and features a diverse group of artists including
Erin Kilmurray Dance,
Jenn Freeman, Precious Jennings and Amelia Charter, movement artists
and musicians Julian Otis, voice
Angel Bat Dawid, clarinet/keyboards/voice
and Wilson Tanner Smith, cello/movement

Followed by a Bonfire Dance Party.

These artists were selected to be participate in the first residency program at Tryon Farm and will be on-site collaboratively creating the work and sharing their process with the community from Oct. 7-12.
*Performance will end with time to celebrate and interact with the performers and guests at a community bonfire.
*Event is outside and some will require walking - please wear appropriate footwear. Flashlights recommended.
*Suggested donations: $20 adults / $10 kids and Drawing you Outside $10 adults / $5 kids

See the lineup for the rest of the series on Facebook

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The Tryon Farm Institute connects people with nature through responsible land use, diverse educational experiences and research opportunities. TFI is an Indiana chartered non-profit land trust and education membership organization with a mission to connect human and natural communities by promoting habitat diversity and sustainable land husbandry. www.tfinstitute.org

Kristina Isabelle Dance produces multi-media evening length works, many featuring my signature long-legged stilt dances as well as site specific environmental dance-scapes. KIDCO tours nationally and internationally Resident of Tryon Farm, Isabelle is also the director and curator of the Art in Nature series. www.kristinaisabelledance.com/

Michigan City Moves is a performance collective dedicated to promoting and sharing experimental music, dance and film. The collective includes Melli Hoppe, Elise Kermani and Kristina Isabelle.

For more information please contact:
Kristina Isabelle Art in Nature - Director 614-638-6186 or kristinaisabelledance@gmail.com
www.kristinaisabelledance.com/art-in-nature-tryon-farm-institute

Funding Support provided by: Tryon Farm Institute, Kristina Isabelle Dance, Michigan City Moves, South Shore Arts, Indiana Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts,
mediaThefoundation, and the Michigan City Commission for Women


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Jul
13
5:00 PM17:00

Live Music & Yoga: Summertime Repose

Join Anna Schabold, yoga guide, and Wilson Tanner Smith, cello, for an hour-long yoga class rooted in slowing down amidst summer’s great burst of energy across nature and life. All levels of experience welcome!

Saturday, 13 July 2019
5-6:30 pm
Yoga Tree Chicago
$25 in advance // $30 at the door
Members: $21

Purchase tickets here

Facebook

———

Summer is a time bursting with energy - sunflowers and grasses grow to dizzying heights in short spurts of time. Plans for vacation, work projects, and social gatherings are on parade, and the to-do list can seem to be never-ending. It’s as though the world is on fast-forward and urging you to, "Hurry! Keep up!" If we look a little closer though, there’s another side of summer.

The peak of summer beckons you to let go of productivity, take a break and be idle. Imagine a hot, sunny afternoon, buzzing with cicada song, hypnotic, calm, and still - perfect for a tall icy lemonade and a nap. Join Anna and Wilson in celebrating summertime with a live music and yoga event to help you connect to living easy. Our practice, accompanied by a live cello soundscape, will evoke a deep lust for life. Come on a sensual journey that will help you to enjoy being in your body. Slow down, unwind, and soak up an hour of reprieve from all that summertime action.

We will enjoy a 60 minute movement practice, followed by a half hour reception with light refreshments.

—

Anna Schabold is a seasoned yoga teacher, structural integration therapist, and enthusiastic somanaut who loves to guide people towards a deeper relationship with their body and mind through focused feeling and breathing.

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Jun
2
1:00 PM13:00

Ayako Kato's "To The Shore: ETHOS I" - Pivot Arts Festival 2019 Day 2

June 1 at 11 a.m.
June 2 at 1 p.m.
Beginning at Colvin House/Creative Co-Working, 5940 N. Sheridan Road, culminating at Thorndale Beach

Runtime: 60 minutes
Tickets $15

CLICK FOR TICKETS

Created by Ayako Kato
Featuring movement by Moonbones Evolutionary/Margaret Morris, Aquarius Ester, Lesley Keller, Danielle Ross, Jasmine Mendoza, Tuli Bera, and Amanda Maraist.
Sound by Jason Roebke and Wilson Tanner Smith.

————

Part one of a three-part project, ETHOS reflects upon how contemporary humans have evolved both spiritually and physically from ancient times. This meditative performance combines dance, movement and music to illuminate the connection between everyday human gesture and wisdom from the past. Newcity Stage says of her work, “Kato is able to evoke whole landscapes in a single exhalation.” Kato is originally from Yokohama, Japan and is influenced by a Japanese view of nature and the philosophy of Tao. To the Shore: Ethos Episode I is supported by Pivot Arts and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Event Individual Artists Program Grant.

Movement collaboration and performance by Margaret Morris, Aquarius Ester, Tuli Bera, Lesley Keller, Jasmine Mendoza, Amanda Maraist, Danielle Ross and Ayako Kato; Soundscape by Wilson Tanner Smith and Jason Roebke; Conceived and Directed by Ayako Kato.

There is limited street parking at Colvin House/Creative Co-Working. It is easily accessible by public transportation via the Thorndale Red Line and 136, 147, and 151 buses.

See more at Pivot Arts’ website

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Jun
1
11:00 AM11:00

Ayako Kato's "To The Shore: ETHOS I" - Pivot Arts Festival 2019

June 1 at 11 a.m.
June 2 at 1 p.m.
Beginning at Colvin House/Creative Co-Working, 5940 N. Sheridan Road, culminating at Thorndale Beach

Runtime: 60 minutes
Tickets $15

CLICK FOR TICKETS

Created by Ayako Kato
Featuring movement by Moonbones Evolutionary/Margaret Morris, Aquarius Ester, Lesley Keller, Danielle Ross, Jasmine Mendoza, Tuli Bera, and Amanda Maraist.
Sound by Jason Roebke and Wilson Tanner Smith.

————

Part one of a three-part project, ETHOS reflects upon how contemporary humans have evolved both spiritually and physically from ancient times. This meditative performance combines dance, movement and music to illuminate the connection between everyday human gesture and wisdom from the past. Newcity Stage says of her work, “Kato is able to evoke whole landscapes in a single exhalation.” Kato is originally from Yokohama, Japan and is influenced by a Japanese view of nature and the philosophy of Tao. To the Shore: Ethos Episode I is supported by Pivot Arts and the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Event Individual Artists Program Grant.

Movement collaboration and performance by Margaret Morris, Aquarius Ester, Tuli Bera, Lesley Keller, Jasmine Mendoza, Amanda Maraist, Danielle Ross and Ayako Kato; Soundscape by Wilson Tanner Smith and Jason Roebke; Conceived and Directed by Ayako Kato.

There is limited street parking at Colvin House/Creative Co-Working. It is easily accessible by public transportation via the Thorndale Red Line and 136, 147, and 151 buses.

See more at Pivot Arts’ website

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Apr
10
7:30 PM19:30

J e l l o: Synergy - Precious Jennings' "Giù la Testa" with Julian Otis

This edition of J e l l o pairs dancemakers with musicians in an evening of improvised performance
Facebook

Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 pm
Elastic Arts, 3429 W Diversey Ave #208
$10 at the door (cash only), BYOB

Lineup:
>>Lisa Gonzales & Jennifer Kayle, dance, and Jason Palamara, music
>>Jumaane Taylor, tap dance & Jason Roebke, music
>>Precious Jennings, dance, Wilson Tanner Smith & Julian Otis, music
>>Julia Mayer & Ayako Kato, dance & Jim Becker, music


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Mar
28
10:00 PM22:00

Garden Alchemy

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Garden Alchemy (3 responses to Erik Satie)

$5-$15 sliding scale
10 pm

Piano works by Ryan Packard
Performed by Jonathan Hannau

Ryan Packard solo
Excerpts from "garden variety" for highly amplified percussion and sine tones

Alchemy Ensemble
Wilson Tanner Smith: cello
Hedra Rowan: laptop
Jonathan Hannau: toy piano & electronics
Sam Clapp: guitar & tape
Emily Beisel: bass clarinet

Presented in conjunction with Facility Theatre’s production of The Ruse of Medusa by Satie, running weekends through April 7 at the Chopin.


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