New Music Circle

04/13/2026

Please join us for our next event on Saturday, May 9th at Hi-Pointe Theatre. New Music Circle & HI-Pointe present an evening of experimental films at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. This selection of films focuses on varied approaches to experimental sound in avant garde film, highlighting techniques ranging from ingenious uses of diegetic audio, experimental music (both soundtrack and live performance), and heavily manipulated found-sound materials.

Program:

Harmonica (1971) – Larry Gottheim
Bridges-Go-Round (1958) – Shirley Clarke
Outer Space (1999) – Peter Tscherkassky
If You Stand With Your Back to the Slowing of the Speed of Light in Water (1997) – Julie Murray
Mutiny (1983) – Abigail Child
In Order to Not Be Here (2002) – Deborah Stratman

Total runtime: 91 minutes

04/10/2026

Tonight at WashU Music / 560 Music Center. 7pm doors / 8pm concert. Tickets are sliding scale, and online ticket sales end at 3pm today (we will still hold tickets to purchase at the door). RSVP: James Brandon Lewis Trio ( JBL / Chad Taylor / Josh Werner) at 560 Music Center (April 10)

04/08/2026

Concert preview by St. Louis Post Dispatch for the James Brandon Lewis Trio this Friday at WashU Music / 560 Music Center. Tickets and info in comments.

Lewis was named the Top Tenor Saxophonist and Artist of the Year in DownBeat Magazine.

04/06/2026

This Friday (April 10) NMC and WashU Music present a concert by James Brandon Lewis Trio. 7pm doors / 8pm concert. Tickets are sliding scale $10-$20 and available here: newmusiccircle.org

James Brandon Lewis is a celebrated Brooklyn-based tenor saxophonist and composer who has received significant recognition from DownBeat Magazine, most notably being named Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year in the 73rd Annual DownBeat Critics Poll in 2025.

Apple Cores is the latest full-length album from New York tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, “one of the fiercest sounds in jazz today” (The Guardian) with a “penchant for unbound exploration” (Pitchfork). Informed by the rhythms and textures of hip-hop and funk while remaining rooted in jazz, James Brandon Lewis Trio’s Apple Cores was recorded with Chad Taylor (drums/mbira) and Josh Werner (bass/guitar). The recording was a collective compositional process that happened over the course of two intense, entirely improvised sessions.

04/06/2026

🎶 Looking for something different this week? Come for this collaboration with our friends at New Music Circle!

Step into an evening of fearless, modern jazz with the James Brandon Lewis Trio led by Lewis—one of the most exciting saxophonists in jazz today.

Blending gospel roots, spiritual depth, and fearless improvisation, his sound is powerful, expressive, and completely unique. From acclaimed albums to electrifying live sets, he’s redefining modern jazz.

🎟 Ticketed Event ($10-$20 suggested sliding scale)
📍 Pillsbury Theatre, 560 Music Center
🗓 Friday, April 10, 2026
⏰ 8:00 PM
🔗 https://music.wustl.edu/events/james-brandon-lewis-trio

Washington University in St. Louis WashU Arts & Sciences New Music Circle James Brandon Lewis

04/03/2026

Next Friday (April 10th) at WashU Music / 560 Music Center.

Please join us for the last concert of our 67th season:
James Brandon Lewis Trio
Friday, April 10th, 2026 | 7pm Doors / 8pm Show
Pillsbury Theatre at 560 Music Center ( 560 Trinity Ave, 63130 ). $10–$20 suggested sliding scale.

James Brandon Lewis – saxophones / compositions
Chad Taylor – drums
Josh Werner – bass

James Brandon Lewis is a critically acclaimed saxophonist and composer. He has received accolades from NPR, ASCAP Foundation, MacDowell, and The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. The New York Times described Lewis as “a saxophonist who embodies and transcends tradition.” He has released several critically acclaimed albums, most recently, 2021’s highly touted Jesup Wagon and tours internationally leading several ensembles and is a member and co-founder of American Book Award winning jazz and poetry ensemble Heroes Are Gang Leaders. James was recently named top Tenor Saxophonist and Artist of the Year by Downbeat magazine’s 2025 International Critics poll. Lewis attended Howard University, received his M.F.A. from California Institute of the Arts and earned his Ph.D. in Creativity from Rowan University. He was the inaugural recipient of the Ph.D. Fellowship in Creativity in collaboration with The Balvenie and drummer and Academy Award-Winning Director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.

Apple Cores is the latest full-length album from James Brandon Lewis, and described as “one of the fiercest sounds in jazz today” (The Guardian) with a “penchant for unbound exploration” (Pitchfork). Informed by the rhythms and textures of hip-hop and funk while remaining rooted in jazz, James Brandon Lewis Trio’s Apple Cores was recorded with Chad Taylor (drums/mbira) and Josh Werner (bass/guitar). The recording was a collective compositional process that happened over the course of two intense, entirely improvised sessions.

Photos courtesy of artist. Video assembled by Aaron O’Laughlin.

03/27/2026

Tomorrow (3/28) at The Luminary, join us for an evening of improvised music and sound-art.

Saturday, March 28, 2026
7pm Doors / 8pm Show
The Luminary ( 2701 Cherokee St, 63118)
all ages event (please bring id)
$20 - $10 sliding scale entry

Schedule:
7:00pm - Doors
8:00pm - Coppice (Chicago, IL)
8:55pm - Sarah Ruth Alexander (Denton, TX)

additional info: newmusiccircle.org
venue info: theluminaryarts.com

Sarah Ruth Alexander
https://www.sarahruthalexander.com
https://sarahruth.bandcamp.com

Sarah Ruth Alexander is an improviser from Denton, Texas. As a multi-instrumentalist, her performances involve a combination of hammered dulcimer, harmonium, electroacoustic sound, and extended vocal techniques to create performances that are truly spontaneous and reactive to the space and audience. She is a University of North Texas graduate where she focused on vocal studies and electroacoustic composition. She has also studied with Meredith Monk and members of her vocal ensemble.


Coppice
https://coppice.futurevessel.com
https://futurevessel.bandcamp.com

For over 15 years, Chicago-based duo Coppice (Noé Cuéllar and Joseph Kramer) has created experimental music centered on auditory pairings. Currently, Coppice is exploring the timbres, tones, and shapes of idiophones (a kind of musical instrument whose own substance vibrates to produce sound), and strategies in spatial audio (actual and simulated). With this pairing, Coppice folds in elements of past works into new forms, presenting a repertoire of echoes.

03/21/2026

03/21/2026

Next Saturday & NMC present an evening of experimental sound and performance.

Sarah Ruth Alexander (Denton, TX)
Coppice (Chicago, IL)

Saturday, March 28th, 2026 | 7pm Doors / 8pm Show
The Luminary ( 2701 Cherokee St, 63118 )
$10-$20 suggested sliding scale / info & tix: newmusiccircle.org

Sarah Ruth Alexander is an improviser from Denton, Texas. As a multi-instrumentalist, her sets involve a combination of hammered dulcimer, harmonium, electroacoustic sound, and extended vocal techniques to create performances that are truly spontaneous and reactive to the space and audience.

For over 15 years, Chicago-based duo Coppice (Noé Cuéllar and Joseph Kramer) has created experimental music centered on auditory pairings. Currently, Coppice is exploring the timbres, tones, and shapes of idiophones (a musical instrument whose own substance vibrates to produce sound). With these instruments Coppice creates continuous overtones, minimalist textures, and beautifully uncanny sonics.

Trailer by . Images courtesy of artists.

03/19/2026

James Brandon Lewis Trio perform Friday, April 10th, 2026 @
Pillsbury Theatre at 560 Music Center.

James Brandon Lewis is a visionary saxophonist and composer redefining modern jazz by blending raw, emotional power with profound, spiritual melody. Recipient of DOWNBEAT’s Tenor Saxophonist of The Year (italics), his sound fuses deep gospel roots with high-energy avant-garde and punk-influenced grit. Celebrated for critically acclaimed albums like Apple Cores, Lewis plays with an urgency that bridges the past and future.