Chicago's Frequency Festival Returns for 2026
Chicago’s Frequency Festival, a six-night showcase of experimental sound and music, has returned. The event features performances at venues including Constellation and unites local and international artists from across genres, attracting the city's cultural patrons.
- The festival receives significant backing from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, a prominent Chicago-based foundation established by Paul M. Angell, the founder of food manufacturer Newly Weds Foods. The foundation's performing arts grants are focused on the Chicago area. - A key partner is The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, a non-collecting contemporary art museum founded in 1915 known for commissioning new works from international artists. Its board includes local and international figures such as President Nancy Lerner Frej and Vice President Martin Friedman. - The festival's opening night features the U.S. premiere of "Open Symmetry" by New York-based artist and composer Tristan Perich. Perich's work, which explores the physics of sound, has been exhibited at major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Whitney Museum of American Art. - A world premiere by composer Lei Liang will be performed by the acclaimed Ensemble Dal Niente. Liang, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Grawemeyer Award winner, has been commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and collaborates with researchers at UC San Diego through the "Lei Lab" to explore creative listening. - Performances extend to the University of Chicago's Bond Chapel, where Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts will perform. Roberts has a history of cross-disciplinary collaborations, including working with artist and filmmaker Luke Fowler and poet Robin Robertson. - The event is an outgrowth of the weekly Frequency Series, curated by music journalist Peter Margasak and hosted at Constellation. The venue was founded by musician and producer Mike Reed, who also serves as the producer for the internationally renowned Pitchfork Music Festival. - Chicago-based saxophone ensemble ~Nois will give the world premiere of "The Perpetual, Poly-Iterative, Multivalent, Transmodal, Vibe Maximizer," a work created in close collaboration with composer Alex Mincek over the past four years. - The festival will host the Chicago debut of the improvising quartet أحمد [Ahmed], whose members include British pianist Pat Thomas and saxophonist Seymour Wright. The group will perform its unique interpretation of the music of bassist and composer Ahmed Abdul-Malik.
