Ecstatic Music Festival 2023 lineup: Joe Rainey, Moor Mother, Yasmin Williams, more
Ecstatic Music Festival has announced the lineup for its 2023 edition, which runs from February 3-June 1 at Merkin Hall in NYC's Kaufman Music Center. Ecstatic is known for its spirit of creative diversity, bringing together artists across genres--particularly pop, rock, and classical. As with the 2019 edition, the fest is spread over several months as a series of concerts, rather than a concentrated music festival.
This year's iteration of Ecstatic sees pow-wow singer and experimentalist Joe Rainey paired with quartet collective Owls on February 3, guitarist-composers William Tyler and Yasmin Williams on March 22, genre-spanning artist Moor Mother on April 28, singer-songwriter Circuit des Yeux alongside pianist Erika Dohi on May 11, and violinist/composer Curtis Stewart joined by pianist Aaron Diehl, Harlem Quartet, and composer/artist Mazz Swift on June 1.
Tickets for individual shows are on sale now. Check out the full schedule with more artist details below.
ECSTATIC MUSIC FESTIVAL -- 2023 LINEUP
Friday, February 3, 2023
Joe Rainey & Owls
Pow Wow singer Joe Rainey performs his debut collection of songs on his newly-released album Niineta (released on 37d03d), backed by electronics and Owls, arranged by collaborators Andrew Broder & William Brittelle. The album is a landmark in modern indigenous music, with bold, electrifying songs that recontextualize the ancient Pow Wow sound in strange, new in-between places.
Drawing from a deep well of musical passions and backgrounds, Owls is a quartet collective that defies expectations and labels with original, visceral and personal performances. The New York Times has called Owls “a dream group,” and each member is an artistic force in their own right. Violinist Alexi Kenney, violist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and cellist-composer Paul Wiancko share an uncommonly fierce creative spirit which drives the quartet to challenge the way meaningful concert experiences are conceived. While weaving together new compositions with original arrangements of music ranging from the 1600s to the present, Owls' distinctive instrumentation allows them access to beautiful and exhilarating new sound worlds—effectively guaranteeing that each performance is uniquely theirs and without limits.
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
William Tyler & Yasmin Williams
Two of today’s most acclaimed guitarist-composers present a new collaborative work for themselves and chamber ensemble. Tyler plays "cosmic country," folk, indie folk and pop rock. Based in Alexandria, VA, Williams is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist with an unorthodox, modern style of playing. She utilizes various techniques including alternate tunings, percussive hits, and lap tapping in her music to great effect.
Friday, April 28, 2023
Moor Mother
A New Sounds Live co-presentation hosted by John Schaefer
The songwriter, composer, vocalist, poet and educator Camae Ayewa premieres new music fusing jazz, blues and soul. Ayewa spent years organizing and performing in Philadelphia's underground music community before moving to Los Angeles to teach composition at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. She released her debut album as Moor Mother, Fetish Bones, in 2016, and has since put out an abundance of acclaimed music, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians who share her drive to dig up the untold. She has performed and recorded with the free jazz groups Irreversible Entanglements and the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and made records with billy woods, Mental Jewelry, and YATTA.
Thursday, May 11, 2023
Circuit des Yeux & Erika Dohi
Singer/songwriter Haley Fohr teams up with the virtuosic, barrier-defying pianist Erika Dohi for an evening of new music. Fohr is a vocalist, composer and singer-songwriter based in Chicago who is most distinctly identified by her 4-octave voice and unique style of 12-string guitar. Described as "virtuosic" (New York Times) and "barrier-defying artist" (Mix Magazine), Osaka-born and New York-based pianist Erika Dohi is a multi-faceted artist with an eclectic musical background. From highly polished traditional classical to bold improvisation, she is a dynamic performer whose timeless style and unidiomatic technique sets her apart in contemporary NYC avant-garde circles.
Thursday, June 1, 2023
Curtis Stewart – of Love / of time
A New Sounds Live co-presentation hosted by John Schaefer
Featuring Aaron Diehl, Harlem Quartet & Mazz Swift
Multi-Grammy nominated violinist/composer Curtis Stewart premieres new music with pianist and Kaufman Music Center Artist-in-Residence Aaron Diehl, Harlem Quartet and violin/vox/freestyle composition artist Mazz Swift.