A two-night mini-festival celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt’s groundbreaking Summer Course for New Music—the global meeting point for postwar experimentation, exchange, and creative risk.
Night two features the New York premiere of legendary composer and NEA Jazz Master Anthony Braxton’s most recent concert work, Thunder Music, which debuted at Darmstadt in 2023, performed by a group including members of International Contemporary Ensemble. GBSR Duo open the evening with a performance of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s Kontakte (1958-60).
The festival will also include archival listening sessions and lectures exploring Darmstadt’s historic legacy and its living, evolving influence on today’s artistic practice. Additional details to be announced.
International Contemporary Ensemble x Tri-Centric plays Anthony Braxton’s Thunder Music
Carl Testa double bass and electronics
Levy Lorenzo percussion
Ingrid Laubrock saxophone
Darius Jones saxophone
Reut Regev trombone
Chris McIntyre trombone
Rebekah Heller bassoon and conductor
Jonathan Finlayson trumpet
Nick Hallett voice
Kyoko Kitamura voice
Raquel Klein voice
Adam Matlock voice and accordion
Anne Rhodes voice
Fay Victor voice
GBSR Duo plays Stockhausen’s Kontakte
George Barton percussion
Siwan Rhys piano
“While not strictly dramatic in nature, Thunder Music suggested a stagelike feel. In this new category of (Braxton’s) compositional practice, individual musicians are responsible for making choices about how to merge their own sound with prerecorded sounds of thunder and nature.”—New York Times in 2023
Organized by Nick Hallett and Zach Layton, curators of NYC’s Darmstadt: Classics of the Avant-Garde, together with Thomas Schäfer, director of the IMD, and George Lewis, Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble, the festival bridges generations of experimental sound. Envisioned in partnership with a consortium including Roulette Intermedium, The New School, Fridman Gallery, and the International Contemporary Ensemble.
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing.
USE CODE EARLYBIRDER AT CHECKOUT FOR $5 OFF TICKETS — ENDS AUGUST 31ST.
International Contemporary Ensemble is a leading contemporary music based in New York, currently directed by George Lewis. Founded in 2001 and led by instrumentalists from Ohio’s Oberlin Conservatory including Claire Chase, Joshua Rubin, Ross Karre, and Rebekah Heller, the ensemble features a flexible collective of instrumentalists and vocalists performing repertoire ranging from solo works to large ensemble pieces. Praised by The New York Times as “one of the most accomplished and adventurous groups in new music,” the Ensemble has premiered more than 500 compositions, many by emerging composers, in venues worldwide. The ensemble is recognized for innovative programming, interdisciplinary collaboration, and educational initiatives that connect new music with diverse audiences. The Ensemble has received numerous honors, including the American Music Center Trailblazer Award and Musical America’s 2013 Ensemble of the Year award. The Ensemble has collaborated with conductors including John Adams and Susanna Mälkki and performs internationally at major festivals and concert halls.
GBSR Duo Percussionist George Barton and pianist Siwan Rhys are one of the UK’s leading contemporary chamber ensembles, celebrated for fearless performances, ambitious commissions, and inventive collaborations. Their repertoire spans twentieth-century modernism, experimental music, and cross-genre projects, with programs featuring composers from Karlheinz Stockhausen and Galina Ustvolskaya to Brian Eno and Aphex Twin. The duo has premiered works by Eva-Maria Houben, Cassie Kinoshi, Linda Catlin Smith, and Oliver Leith. They are winners of the Royal Philharmonic Society 2025 Young Artist Award. GBSR has performed internationally with ensembles and artists including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Basel Sinfonietta, and Thomas Adès. In 2026, they serve as Artists in Residence at Kings Place.
