Unsound New York 2025 - first lineup announcement
LINEUP SO FAR:
Aleksandra Słyż & Sinfonietta Cracovia / Hania Rani presents Chilling Bambino / Heinali & Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko present Гільдеґарда / John Cale presents Steam on Glass / Lucrecia Dalt / Piotr Kurek presents Songs & Bodies / RP Boo & Gary Gwadera present Another Brain – The Birth of Footberk / Sinfonietta Cracovia plays Mica Levi
+ MORE TBA
This year, Unsound New York is part of the festival’s WEB theme, connecting events in New York, Kraków and Osaka – which just wrapped up last weekend! In New York, the festival takes place between October 27 - November 9 and includes events at Pioneer Works and the Lincoln Center, as well as further shows yet to be announced. (Remember that Unsound Kraków takes place in the second week of October – you can check the schedule with ticket links here.)
The opening night on Unsound New York on October 27 is at Pioneer Works, with a double bill featuring two leading lights of contemporary Polish music, both following shows at Unsound Osaka. London-based pianist, composer, and singer Hania Rani has established a reputation for integrating ornate solo piano compositions with delicate synthesized elements. With Chilling Bambino, Rani explores electronic sounds even more rigorously, focusing on her Prophet synthesizer and augmenting fluttering melodies with psychedelic rhythms. Piotr Kurek will open, playing new music from his upcoming Unsound-released album Songs & Bodies, an impressionistic blur of dissociated riffs, jazzy rhythms and half-heard voices that casts a beguiling digital silhouette of '90s indie music. Piotr will appear on stage in a band with local musicians soon to be announced. Tickets here.
The free show at the David Rubenstein Atrium on October 30 unites the U.S. and Poland, with an Unsound commission. The Godfather of Footwork RP Boo will perform with Łódź-based drummer Gary Gwadera, who reimagined the sound through the prism of Polish folk traditions on his album Far, far in Chicago. Together they will create something new, called The Birth of Footberk. Another act will be added to the lineup in the next announcement.
Alice Tully Hall on November 1 features musicians and composers from Poland, South America, and the UK. Pure Voices by experimental Polish composer Aleksandra Słyż will connect electronics and strings, performed by one of Poland's leading chamber ensembles, the Sinfonietta Cracovia. The lineup also features the official album launch of A Danger to Ourselves, the new album from Colombian musician Lucrecia Dalt, whose distinctive sonic signature includes touches of avant-pop, adventurous sound design, and Latin rhythm. Concluding is Sinfonietta Cracovia performing new and old works by the London-based composer Mica Levi including: MAKING LOVE - FLAG - THOUGHTS ARE BORN - SLASHER. Levi is known for scoring films by Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest, Under the Skin) and their work with Nan Goldin (Memory Lost, Sirens). This night is Choose-What-You-Pay, with tickets on sale today at 12 midday EST.
On November 2, John Cale will perform at David Geffen Hall. One of modern music's most innovative voices and a founding member of The Velvet Underground, Cale will present Steam on Glass – evolving sound clouds, exploring noise, improv, and experimentation while tracing his New York City lineage. He showcases his vast repertoire of songs, from the academic experimentation that led to the formation of The Velvet Underground to his multi-genre stepping stones and current works. Opening the night is modular synth musician Heinali and vocalist Andriana-Yaroslava Saienko, whose 2025 Unsound-released album Гільдеґарда (Hildergard) is a striking and highly acclaimed recontextualization of the music of the pioneering 12th-century composer Hildegard von Bingen. By drawing on Ukrainian folk singing and singular modular synthesis techniques, Heinali and Saienko reflect and process contemporary wartime experiences. Again, this show is Choose-What-You-Pay, with tickets on sale on today at 12 midday EST.
Additional artists performing at Unsound New York 2025 will be announced soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, remember once again that Unsound Kraków takes place in just one month, with the schedule up and 3-Day Club Passes and individual tickets now available. In respect to Unsound Kraków, we’ll make the final announcement soon, including opening and closing parties and the schedule for the expansive discourse program.
We hope to see you somewhere soon!
Unsound New York is co-organized by Fundacja Tone and co-presented by the Polish Cultural Institute New York. This project is co-financed by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland from the Culture Promotion Fund in partnership with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Concerts at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts are part of the Lincoln Center Presents Season.