“No harpist thus far has been more capable of combining all of the modern harp traditions — from Salzedo, through Dorothy Ashby, through Alice Coltrane — with such strength, grace and commitment.” - The New York Times

December 13, 2025

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Sensory Overload is a one-night showcase where percussion’s future takes center stage. Grammy-nominated innovator Kassa Overall, audiovisual architect Brett Bolton, and New Orleans-rooted trailblazer Brian Richburg Jr. (New Legaxy) each bend rhythm, electronics, and gesture into living compositions—collisions of jazz, hip-hop, electronica and generative visuals where every strike reshapes the soundworld in real time. This edition debuts groundbreaking new products for the EVANS Hybrid Sensory Percussion system, pushing creative boundaries and fueling artistry. Part performance lab, part jazz club, part dance floor, Sensory Overload is virtuosity, spontaneity, and technology in equal measure.

December 9, 2025

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A living legend of the guitar, Al Di Meola has spent five decades redefining what’s possible on six strings. From his groundbreaking work with Return to Forever to collaborations with John McLaughlin and Paco de Lucía, Di Meola’s artistry bridges jazz, world music, and contemporary fusion with unmatched technical mastery and lyrical depth. His latest release, TWENTYFOUR, continues a legacy of innovation—an expansive journey through intricate rhythms, global influences, and visionary composition. Whether on acoustic or electric, Di Meola’s performances are immersive experiences, blending virtuosity and emotion in equal measure. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to witness one of the most influential guitarists of all time in an intimate setting at National Sawdust.

December 8, 2025

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On December 7, 1985—exactly 40 years ago—the BRC burst into culture with our first-ever party (“Drop The Bomb” at Linda Goode Bryant’s JAM Gallery). Now, on this monumental anniversary, we’re pulling out even more stops… To celebrate our decades-strong community, we’re inviting some of our favorite musicians, artists, and deep-cut DJs to take to the stage and deliver the genre-expansive performances we’ve been championing since our founding. Doubling as a record release party for the 5th volume of our “Rock ‘n’ Roll Reparations” compilation series, audience members will not only be the first to hear the new record, they’ll be able to see some of the most dynamic bands play those songs live.

December 7, 2025

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After years of anticipation, Mona Miari takes the stage for a spellbinding evening celebrating her comeback with her debut album and the premiere of her newest musical project. Rooted in the sounds of Arabic heritage and carried by a voice that transcends borders, Mona’s music honors the home we carry within us — the questions, the dreams, and the life that shape who we are. This concert unfolds as a journey through memory and imagination, where every note becomes both a remembrance and a revelation. Joined by exceptional artists and dear friends, each bringing their own light to an evening of profound connection and effortless artistry. Together, they create a space where belonging feels both intimate and boundless — where tradition meets innovation, and music becomes a shared breath. An experience years in the making, this performance marks a defining chapter in Mona’s creative evolution — one that promises to linger long after the final note.

December 6, 2025

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BlackBox Ensemble performs the U.S. premiere of PIPA BOY: Three Scenes from the Post-Diaspora by Baldwin Giang, a multimedia work for ensemble and pipa player exploring global identity and the conditions of belonging and non-belonging. The video part features collaborations with three international filmmakers. The program also includes work by Anthony Cheung, Misato Mochizuki, and Giang's song cycle butterfly, posthumously.

December 5, 2025

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Join us for a very special listening party, celebrating the release of Meredith Monk’s newest album, 'Cellular Songs,' on ECM Records. Performed by the women of the acclaimed Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble (Monk, Ellen Fisher, Katie Geissinger, Joanna Lynn-Jacobs and Allison Sniffin) and percussionist, John Hollenbeck, 'Cellular Songs' features some of Monk’s most adventurous and daring writing for the voice, paired with violin, piano, body percussion and keyboard.

December 4, 2025

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Join us December 2nd for an intimate listening experience with Mexican breakout star HUMBE, who will share the stories behind the making of his ambitious new album 'DUEÑO DEL CIELO' in advance of its release, in a talk led by journalist E.R. Pulgar. This series celebrates the craft behind the voices and makers shaping culture today, and we can't wait to take a deeper look into this artists' groundbreaking work.

December 2, 2025

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On Saturday, November 22nd, National Sawdust hosts the second and final night of Fall of Freedom’s national launch with a double-screening of FREE JOAN LITTLE and STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE!, two films that uplift and empower by centering truth and perserverance. FREE JOAN LITTLE is the story of the landmark 1975 trial of a young Black woman who resisted sexual assault and became a symbol of justice, courage, and collective action. STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! is a portrait of journalist Amy Goodman, whose decades-long reporting amplifies voices routinely silenced by power and media consolidation. The evening will close with a special talkback with Amy Goodman, filmmakers Yoruba Richen, Carl Deal, and Tia Lessin, moderated by Nermeen Shaikh.

November 22, 2025

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Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. In response, artists are rising together - not in silence, but in music, movement, and creation - to remind us that art makes us free.

November 21, 2025

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Port City explores tango music throughout the genre’s history, and features bandoneon visionary Heyni Solera as soloist and composer. Palaver will perform danceable classics alongside contemporary tango-inspired compositions.

November 16, 2025

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Hannah Frances (b. 1997) is a vocalist, guitarist, composer, and poet that NPR’s Ann Powers calls “a stunning vocalist and songwriter, making monumental and mythic freak folk,” and was awarded Pitchfork’s Best New Music for her triumphant new album Keeper of the Shepherd. Through cutting lyricism and astute fingerpicked polyrhythms, Frances’ perennial sound melds avant-folk, progressive rock, and jazz.

November 14, 2025

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BOLDEN. is a fast-rising jazz house duo blending the soul of jazz with the rhythm of electronic music. Emerging from the UK’s vibrant underground scene, Reuben Barrett and Catherine Rannus, both gifted multi-instrumentalists with contrasting but complementary musical journeys, are forging a new path for modern jazz and electronic fusion.

November 12, 2025

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Flock of Dimes – the solo project of multi-instrumentalist and producer Jenn Wasner – releases her third album, The Life You Save, worldwide on October 10th, 2025, on Sub Pop Records. Across the last few decades – whether it be as Flock of Dimes, as half of beloved duo Wye Oak, or via one of her many collaborations with Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, and a sprawling list of other musical juggernauts – Wasner’s extensive catalog displays her gift for balancing authenticity and directness with an unmistakable left-of-center sensibility. Her songwriting has always found her as a keen-eyed observer, a deeply empathetic and thoughtful storyteller with a skill for probing memory, heartbreak, and unhealed trauma, a shroud of syncopation or off-kilter guitar taking a song somewhere quietly prodigious.

November 8, 2025

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Born and raised in São Paulo, Plínio Fernandes fuses the tradition of classical guitar with Brazilian folk music. An exclusive Decca Gold recording artist, Plínio released his debut album “Saudade” in 2022, which hit Number One on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums Chart. His second album, “Bacheando”, released in September 2023, explores Bach’s influence on Brazilian music and contrasts to his recently released EP, “Cinema”, which dives into five iconic movie soundtracks.

November 7, 2025

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Luna Composition Lab and ChamberQUEER present the second installment of The Nebula Project on November 3. This ongoing partnership, supported by the New York Community Trust, aims to foster emerging composers of diverse identities from Luna Composition Lab and cultivate their authentic voices through mentorship and the commissioning of new work.

November 3, 2025

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Internationally acclaimed composer and arranger Miho Hazama brings her Grammy-nominated “jazz chamber orchestra” m_unit to National Sawdust. Known for her uncanny yet highly skilled ability to create new works for some of the music’s most compelling voices – including Joshua Redman, Lionel Loueke, and Christian McBride, among many others – Hazama bonds urgency, exploration, and sophistication in her soundscapes. Don’t miss this special one-night event!

October 29, 2025

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“It doesn't matter if you can sing, it doesn't matter if you're melodic, you are a vibrational being. We are a vibrational species. What we call ‘music’ now is our communicative contribution as a species on and to planet Earth -- and it's one of our best contributions of all.” (Toshi Reagon) Come sing with us this fall! Join Toshi Reagon, Alsarah and the Nubatones, Taína Asili, The Bruces, New York Arabic Chorus, DJ Bill Coleman, Alexis Pauline Gumbs, Nona Hendryx, Baba Israel, Yasmine Lee, Legacy Women, Miguel Luciano, Nile Nights, Lizzie No, The Soapbox Presents, DJ Leecy T, and more as we collectively learn to sing songs of resistance and resilience together.

October 28, 2025

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Depending on the game, an Ace can be the highest or lowest card, zero or infinity. A breakup feels similar—one path crumbles, while all others remain infinitely possible. How do you write about heartbreak when you’re going through it? Ace, Grammy award-winner Madison Cunningham’s third record for Verve Forecast, tracks every part of it: falling out of love, having your heart broken, and then falling in love again. It’s about betrayal and betraying yourself. It is a stunning record and some of Cunningham’s best songwriting to date. It showcases her at the height of her powers.

October 26, 2025

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The Fiery Furnaces is the long-running collaboration between siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger. Renowned for their dense, allusive lyrics, formally inventive compositions, and unpredictable live shows, the band occupies a singular space in the landscape of experimental pop.

October 25, 2025

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Caroline Rose’s albums blend psychobilly, pop, shoegaze, alt-country, folk, electronic and experimental. They infuse satire, perspective-hopping, film-inspired narrative and an array of storytelling devices that transport listeners straight into Rose’s self-described “weird buffet” of a mind.

October 24, 2025

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Jog Blues brings together masters of Jazz, Blues and Indian Classical music in a 21st century mix, creating an experience drawing from deep traditions but swinging towards the future. The band is named for Jog, the Indian midnight raga, and the blues, the most American of music genres.

October 23, 2025

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Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal presents an intimate performance with Puerto Rican star iLe as part of the Single Village Music Series. iLe will be performing her new album 'Como las canto yo' for the first time in the days prior to its release. The album is a covers project dedicated to her favorite traditional boleros. There will also be special surprises and complimentary drinks provided for attendees.

October 22, 2025

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Join us at National Sawdust for our free October Community Happy Hour from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. Attendees will have exclusive access to an intimate conversation with musician and Executive Director, Maya French of Palaver Strings, to learn more about Maya’s work and creative practice ahead of her performance on November 16th.And what’s Happy Hour without something tasty to sip? Our friends at BKE Kombucha are bringing the flavor with a lineup of their delicious kombuchas! Come and bring a friend or two to try them out!

October 21, 2025

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Join us for an extraordinary evening as we launch ArtSmart’s 10th Anniversary celebration with our NYC gala. This milestone event marks the beginning of our tribute to a decade of transformative music mentorship.

October 20, 2025

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FREE // Open House New York is a five-borough festival celebrating design, culture, and civic investment. With more than 300 destinations to explore over three days, the festival helsp participants understand why the city looks, feels, and functions the way it does. Experience the most high-tech artist’s playground in New York City! Housed in a former Sawdust factory in the heart of Williamsburg, National Sawdust is a dynamic non-profit that commissions, produces, presents, and supports multidisciplinary artists and arts organizations in creating innovative new work.

October 19, 2025

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Ava Luna’s celebrates the release of their sixth LP. The new self-titled album is a testament to almost twenty years of shared musical sensibility, now distilled into its barest elements. The album paints an intimate, exaggerated portrait of NYC, a cacophony of jagged post-punk, funk, and dance beats giving way to lush strings and spacious minimalism. It’s a sound that is both resilient and reflective, proving that even as the city and the band evolve, Ava Luna continue to take listeners somewhere urgent and new.

October 18, 2025

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Founded in 2015 and returning from a five-year hiatus, The Hum is BACK for one night only as part of Audiofemme's Agenda Grant Festival! The Hum is a concert series that celebrates and uplifts the community of womxn and gender-nonconforming musicians and artists in New York City. At its core is collaboration: each show features new ensembles composed entirely of womxn and nonbinary artists, curated and paired specifically for the series. These one-night-only “dream bands” perform original sets created just for the occasion, existing only in the moment and never to be repeated.

October 17, 2025

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On the eve of Indigenous Peoples’ Day, join Keith Secola and Maria Esther Pallares for a magical evening of music celebrating LIFE, LOVE, & UNITY. They will be joined by special guest Bethany Yarrow, whose father, Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul & Mary, collaborated frequently with both Keith and Esther. He was a great admirer of these extraordinary performers and felt a connection to the sound, spirit, and messages of their music. This performance will also feature a photo exhibit by Alon Kaplun, a New York-based photographer who extracts unique perspectives from his urban surroundings and natural landscapes.

October 12, 2025

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Join us for an evening with psychedelic jazz visionary Cochemea, celebrating the release of his latest album “Vol 3: Ancestros Futuros”. // Tickets on-sale Friday, August 22nd at 10am.

October 11, 2025

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Cuban-Chinese artist, composer, and cellist SUUVI premieres Dark Therapy—a groundbreaking neuroarts album and immersive performance—on World Mental Health Day. A classically trained prodigy who began playing cello at age two and was accepted to Juilliard at ten, SUUVI is an emerging force in experimental music. Her work merges ambient cello, spatial electronics, voice, and multilingual storytelling—infused with healing frequencies and guided by scientific insight.

October 10, 2025

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On the heels of her 2025 Pulitzer Prize in music, singular Filipinx-American composer, percussionist, and sound artist Susie Ibarra returns to NS+ with a program featuring U.S. and New York premieres, as well as tales of collecting sound over time in remote, rustic corners of the world.

October 7, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome rising artist Addison Rae to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY for a discussion about her debut album, Addison, her creative process, her career, and more, with a special live performance.

October 4, 2025

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Moderated by Journalist Nayeema Raza // The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome award-winning string duo ARKAI to National Sawdust for their NYC album release show of Brightside (out August 22), featuring an exclusive live performance and an inside look at their music, career, and creative process.

September 29, 2025

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Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal presents the first event in the Single Village Music Series with an intimate album listening event featuring Mexican indie star Silvana Estrada. Hear Silvana's sophomore album 'Vendrán Suaves Lluvias' ahead of its release on October 17 via Glassnote Records. Silvana will be in conversation with Rolling Stone editor Julyssa Lopez about the making of the album. There will also be special surprises and complimentary drinks provided for attendees.

September 28, 2025

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Zola Jesus aka Nika is an American born singer, songwriter and producer. Since 2008, she has released two EPs and seven (?) full-length albums majoratively on NY multi-decade tastemaker label Sacred Bones. Nika began training as an opera singer at the age of 10. She dismantled that training to deliver her breakthrough lo-fi record The Spoils in 2009, most of which she recorded as an undergrad in her dorm room at UW Madison.

September 27, 2025

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Zola Jesus aka Nika is an American born singer, songwriter and producer. Since 2008, she has released two EPs and seven (?) full-length albums majoratively on NY multi-decade tastemaker label Sacred Bones. Nika began training as an opera singer at the age of 10. She dismantled that training to deliver her breakthrough lo-fi record The Spoils in 2009, most of which she recorded as an undergrad in her dorm room at UW Madison.

September 27, 2025

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After spending the majority of his adult life thus far in New York, Juan Wauters decides to revisit his native Montevideo, the culturally rich capital of Uruguay. Wauters explored the excitement of falling back in love with his birthplace on his subsequent record, 2023’s Wandering Rebel, but on his seventh studio album MVD LUV — due June 27 via Captured Tracks — Wauters doesn’t just introduce listeners to Montevideo; he invites them to feel at home within it. Having spent much of his career in the United States, Wauters has long carried the dual identity of immigrant and native son. With MVD LUV, a love letter to both his roots and his present, he set out to bridge those worlds by capturing the essence of Montevideo’s streets and communal spirit.

September 26, 2025

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Join cellist and composer Tamar Sagiv for the release of her debut album Shades of Mourning, —an intimate journey through grief, memory, and hope that transforms personal loss into a powerful musical expression. Drawing on her Middle Eastern heritage and rigorous classical training, Sagiv creates a sonic landscape against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in her homeland.

September 25, 2025

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Join us on Wednesday, September 24, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM for the first one of the season, featuring Brooklyn’s very own hot sauce brand Heatonist. Enjoy a curated tasting of their signature sauces paired with a spicy cocktail crafted by our beverage director, Ricky, as we toast to bold flavors and musical innovation. Spots are limited, RSVP today to save yours!

September 24, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome rising artist Lola Young to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY for a discussion about her new album, I’m Only F*cking Myself, her creative process, hit single "Messy" and more with a special live performance.

September 23, 2025

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When guitarist and composer Yasmin Williams sits down to compose music, she doesn’t scour her subconscious for unheard melodies or clever chord progressions. Instead, she goes granular—fixating on a single note. She’ll play it over and over, sustaining it, varying the attack or the release to change its essence, eventually adding notes to form chords. In addition to the crisp fingerpicked guitar that helped establish her as a fast-rising star of instrumental folk, Williams plays kora, harp guitar, banjo, and electric guitar and bass—all with authority.

September 20, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Wolf Alice to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY for a discussion about their 4th album, The Clearing, creative process, and career with a special live performance.

September 18, 2025

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Devendra Banhart (b. 1980, Houston, Texas) lives and works in Los Angeles. An internationally renowned musician considered a pioneer of the “freak folk” and “New Weird America” movements, Banhart has toured, performed, and collaborated with Vashti Bunyan, Yoko Ono, Os Mutantes, the Swans, ANOHNI, Caetano Veloso, and Beck, amongst many others. His musical work has always existed symbiotically alongside his pursuits in the other fine arts.

September 17, 2025

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Devendra Banhart (b. 1980, Houston, Texas) lives and works in Los Angeles. An internationally renowned musician considered a pioneer of the “freak folk” and “New Weird America” movements, Banhart has toured, performed, and collaborated with Vashti Bunyan, Yoko Ono, Os Mutantes, the Swans, ANOHNI, Caetano Veloso, and Beck, amongst many others. His musical work has always existed symbiotically alongside his pursuits in the other fine arts.

September 16, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Yungblud to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY for a brief preview of his new documentary YUNGBLUD. ARE YOU READY, BOY, a discussion of his new album IDOLS, and a special live performance.

September 15, 2025

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Nina Keith and Rachika Nayar were drawn to one another like mirror images or two sisters reuniting after a lifetime of separation. Four years ago, the artists met in Brooklyn's two-block–by–two-block Maria Hernandez Park after fan-girling each other’s music online. Dishing about messy post-lockdown long-distance lesbianism, heartfelt investments in Buddhist and Hindu philosophies, and a shared high-school love of the Eternal Sunshine OST, the two found their surface similarities gesturing toward a deeper shared existential worldview. Presented in partnership with AdHoc.

September 12, 2025

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“Slathered in reverb and sent hurtling through a dizzying maze of guitar effects, Just Mustard document succumbing to the inertia of a panic attack with a biting urgency.” Ireland’s Just Mustard return with an intimate New York show on Tuesday, September 9th at National Sawdust.

September 9, 2025

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Join ShiShi for a one-night-only presentation of his latest album "Indigo," a 9 song body of work that blends rock, electronic and devotional music to tell a story of deep spiritual longing. "Indigo" is aptly titled in honor of the Hindu god of love and devotion "Krishna," whose name literally means "dark blue." In the ancient spiritual traditions of India, Indigo is said to be the color of the divine, celestial realm. ShiShi's latest offering traverses themes of loss, desire, devotion and ultimately the quest for unity with the divine. Together, we will journey through an opening sound meditation and a live performance of "Indigo."

September 6, 2025

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MODERATED BY WRITER, PRODUCER, AND MULTIMEDIA STORYTELLER J'NA JEFFERSON // The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome GRAMMY Award-winning artist Ciara to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to discuss her new album – CiCi (out August 22nd), career, and creative process with a special live performance.

September 5, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Ben Folds to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to discuss his latest music, career, touring, and creative process with a special live performance.

August 21, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Old Dominion to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to discuss their latest music, career, touring, and creative process with a special live performance. Moderated by music journalist Alan Light.

August 11, 2025

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Mohini Dey is a 28 year old Indian renowned bass guitarist, arranger, producer & vocalist who has gained international recognition for her extraordinary talent and versatility. With her unique style and impeccable technique, she has collaborated with numerous renowned artists and performed on prestigious stages around the world.

June 21, 2025

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Mohini Dey is a 28 year old Indian renowned bass guitarist, arranger, producer & vocalist who has gained international recognition for her extraordinary talent and versatility. With her unique style and impeccable technique, she has collaborated with numerous renowned artists and performed on prestigious stages around the world.

June 21, 2025

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Babehoven is a band fronted by singer-songwriter Maya Bon and collaborator Ryan Albert in Hudson, NY. Their new album 'Water's Here In You' is available everywhere on April 26 via Double Double Whammy.

June 20, 2025

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The Messenger follows a community of seekers whose leader has gone missing. They have always lived in harmony with the land, their ancestry, and beliefs. What will they do in his absence? In this fusion of classical, jazz and new music, the community sets out to answer this very question.

June 19, 2025

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National Sawdust is thrilled to partner with Domino Park's inaugural Sugar, Sugar! festival for a night of music set against unparalleled views of the Manhattan skyline. Join us at our neighborhood park for a twilight jazz performance of "Back to Nature" featuring Isaiah Barr, David Frazier Jr. and William Parker. Admission is free with reservations.

June 18, 2025

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This immersive, multimedia experience will invite audiences to envision worlds beyond the limits of their present. Willie Mae students will present original 20-channel sound experiments alongside live performances from the Black Sound Salon and Wille Mae Alumni.

June 13, 2025

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Blue Note Jazz Festival presents Rosali with special guests J.C.R.G and Edsel Axle.

June 12, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Tony and Academy Award-nominated artist John C. Reilly to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to celebrate his upcoming album, What’s Not To Love?, with a discussion about his creative process and a special live performance accompanied by GRAMMY Award-winning musician and co-producer of What's Not To Love? Davíd Garza (Fiona Apple, Sharon Van Etten).

June 10, 2025

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We Don’t Need the Sea to Drown is a multi-disciplinary performance from Sxip Shirey and Coco Karol that combines stories gleaned from Karol’s movement interview with NY-based artists and community leaders with Shirey’s renowned use of sound objects with the duo’s celebrated choral form, the Gauntlet, where corridors of singers pass a libretto downstream in cascadinging tones and phrases, as audiences experience waves of sound.

June 7, 2025

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We Don’t Need the Sea to Drown is a multi-disciplinary performance from Sxip Shirey and Coco Karol that combines stories gleaned from Karol’s movement interview with NY-based artists and community leaders with Shirey’s renowned use of sound objects with the duo’s celebrated choral form, the Gauntlet, where corridors of singers pass a libretto downstream in cascadinging tones and phrases, as audiences experience waves of sound.

June 6, 2025

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Known for his buttery voice and distinct strumming, guitarist, singer-songwriter and bandleader John Roseboro has been making a name for himself in the Brooklyn indie scene, redefining and innovating the genre with Brazilian jazz and mysticism.

June 4, 2025

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Musicians from the New York Youth Symphony's Orchestra, Chamber Music and Jazz ensembles perform world premieres of original works by NYYS composers. The performances are led by members of the Robert L. Poster Apprentice Conducting program.

May 19, 2025

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Poems of Consumption turns Amazon customer reviews into “pop songs” written, composed, arranged, and produced by H.Sinno and their collaborators. The harsh electronica and lush string quartet are accompanied by video work by Sinno and Matteo Zamagni which further saturates the performance with a relentless barrage of phantasmagorical visuals.

May 14, 2025

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No other solo American guitarist this century has impacted that fecund scene quite like William Tyler. After crucial stints in Silver Jews and Lambchop, this adopted son of Nashville emerged at the dawn of the last decade with a string of inquisitive albums that paired the measure of his country rearing and classical enthusiasm with his ardor for postmodern experimentation, field recordings and static drifts folded beneath exquisite melodies.

May 13, 2025

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Student CoLab is National Sawdust’s flagship education program for middle school composers. This free concert is the culmination of the 4-month commissioning program, featuring performances by the students, including original music for voice, guitar, bandola, and cello, as well as electronics and visual art — all written and designed by the students.

May 11, 2025

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A Dance for Birds is a nine-movement suite of music crafted by the visionary composer and percussionist, Samuel Torres. Showcasing his latin chamber ensemble featuring the Bergamot Quartet with special guest vocalist Lucía Pulido. A Dance for Birds tells a story of migration with the congas (the bird) as the narrator. This work brings Afro-Latin rhythms, jazz and classical music together, defying musical stereotypes and expanding the horizons of chamber music.

May 9, 2025

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SYML is the solo venture of Seattle artist Brian Fennell. Welsh for “simple”— he makes music that taps into the instincts that drive us to places of sanctuary, whether that be a place or a person.

May 8, 2025

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SYML is the solo venture of Seattle artist Brian Fennell. Welsh for “simple”— he makes music that taps into the instincts that drive us to places of sanctuary, whether that be a place or a person.

May 7, 2025

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Kronos Quartet reunites with Jeffrey Zeigler for a one-night only performance at National Sawdust, dedicated to compositions that "Awaken the Future." The evening includes a world premiere by 2019 Hildegard Commission Winner and composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh, and features a sound sculpture by Roxanne Nesbitt. Former quartet member and acclaimed cellist Jeffrey Zeigler will perform with Kronos, reuniting with the contemporary music champions for the first time in more than ten years. The program also explores the fantastical worlds of Kronos' friends Nicole Lizée, Peni Candra Rini, and Gabriella Smith. Smith's epic work "Keep Going" highlights the issues surrounding climate change, and celebrates those individuals who keep fighting for solutions and for our future.

May 3, 2025

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SOLD OUT /// After a 3-year hiatus, Theophilus London returns to the stage for a one-night only event to lay the foundation for a new chapter in his music career. Hosted and curated by London, the evening will unfold in three parts, taking the audience on a sonic journey that will culminate with a world premiere performance of Awaken, his comeback track and the first single from his upcoming album.

April 29, 2025

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Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and DBR Lab return to National Sawdust to present cross-disciplinary talent by emerging artists from Arizona State University on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Original projects explore dance, original music compositions, digital media and spoken word. Featuring special guest Carl Hancock Rux.

April 26, 2025

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Join composer-instigator Jad Abumrad and virtuoso trio Ji Hye Jung and Sō Percussion’s Eric Cha-Beach and Jason Treuting in this playful evening highlighting maximum efficiency with minimal waste. They will be joined by New York Times food writer Melissa Clark, and induction chef extraordinaire Rachelle Boucher of the Building Decarbonization Coalition (BDC), with NS+ curator Elena Park.

April 25, 2025

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From Mickey Mouse to Michael Jackson, and traditional Hawaiian song to Kabuki, the falsetto sound is deeply ingrained within our global consciousness. But what does it evoke, and what does it express? This synesthetic concert experience blends the intangibility of the countertenor voice with the invisibility of smell molecules. It explores how unseen elements––sound and smell––can provoke emotion and imprint long-lasting memories.

April 18, 2025

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From Mickey Mouse to Michael Jackson, and traditional Hawaiian song to Kabuki, the falsetto sound is deeply ingrained within our global consciousness. But what does it evoke, and what does it express? This synesthetic concert experience blends the intangibility of the countertenor voice with the invisibility of smell molecules. It explores how unseen elements––sound and smell––can provoke emotion and imprint long-lasting memories.

April 17, 2025

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Join us for an unforgettable evening at the intersection of jazz and chamber music with Ravinia On Tour's Bridges Composition Concert. This captivating fusion of genres promises to spark the joy of jazz aficionados and classical music enthusiasts alike.

April 16, 2025

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In upstate New York, deep in the seam between the Catskills mountains and the Hudson Valley, a richly swelling, spellbound sound emerges, eddying and flowing like the local Esopus Creek, or in the slipstream of the grander Hudson river, carrying the flotsam and jetsam of our hopes, dreams, fears. A sound composed of organic and electronic; guitars, keys, brass, strings, woodwind, drums – and a voice of incantations, tapping streams of consciousness that similarly eddy and flow.

April 12, 2025

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“Since Glenn Gould’s visit to Moscow and Van Cliburn’s victory at the Tchaikovsky Competition in the heat of the Cold War, never has a foreign pianist provoked such frenzy”. THE HUFFINGTON POST 

April 11, 2025

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“Ko te reo Māori, he matapihi ki te ao Māori” goes the Māori whakatauki (proverb) that has guided Aotearoa singer/songwriter Marlon Williams’(Kāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) fourth solo album, Te Whare Tīwekaweka. Translated, it means “The Māori language is a window to the Māori world” and expresses Marlon’s motivation behind his first te reo Māori album. “Through the process of constructing these songs,” Marlon says, “I’ve found a means of expressing my joys, sorrows and humour in a way that feels both distinctly new yet also connects me to my tīpuna [ancestors] and my whenua [land, home].”

April 10, 2025

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A showcase of Montclair State University’s 2024-2025 year-long residency with composer and violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), featuring cutting edge acoustic and electronic music by Roumain and Cali School of Music composers, with performances by the university’s flagship young artist ensembles Trillium String Quartet and Cali Collective.

April 5, 2025

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“Avishai Cohen has rather quietly become one of the most creative trumpet players in jazz.” (JazzTimes)

March 29, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome 11x GRAMMY Award-nominated artist Anoushka Shankar to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to have a discussion moderated by WNYC’s radio host and author John Schaefer about the creative process behind her latest album, Chapter III: We Return To Light, with a special live performance.

March 26, 2025

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(LATE SHOW) Shimizu’s boundary-breaking approach to music goes beyond composition and performance. He views physical space as an extension of his instrument, and often “plays the space,” making use of unique acoustic environments in which to record and play.

March 21, 2025

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Shimizu’s boundary-breaking approach to music goes beyond composition and performance. He views physical space as an extension of his instrument, and often “plays the space,” making use of unique acoustic environments in which to record and play.

March 21, 2025

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Shimizu’s boundary-breaking approach to music goes beyond composition and performance. He views physical space as an extension of his instrument, and often “plays the space,” making use of unique acoustic environments in which to record and play.

March 20, 2025

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The GRAMMY Museum is thrilled to welcome Japanese Breakfast to National Sawdust in Brooklyn, NY to celebrate her new album, For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women), with a discussion about her creative process and a special live performance.

March 19, 2025

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In Timbalooloo, instruments come to life and speak through their music, so that children learn to conceive of music as a dialogue amongst instruments and feel empowered to express themselves in the language of music. For this concert Etkin invites accomplished Palestinian musician Zafer Tawil, on Oud and Arabic percussion. Clara Net will meet the Oud and Arabic percussion instruments as they take the children on a journey full of song and dance.

March 15, 2025

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Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and performer Du Yun presents an evening featuring the artist's rock band and chamber ensemble OK Miss along with her friends NOMON and DJ Rekha. NOMON will perform music from their EP 'Card II' and new work from an upcoming album. Du Yun's rock band and chamber ensemble OK Miss headlines with songs from their forthcoming album and new material from an upcoming project with children of the Jinuo ethnicity from Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. DJ Rekha closes out the evening with an alchemy of sounds from their NYC based global musical palette.

March 8, 2025

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Experience the uniquely stirring voice of singer-songwriter Tenzin Choegyal. The Tibetan artist will perform solo and be joined by special guests including the Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet and pianist Alex Gray. Riverkeeper’s Executive Director Tracy Brown and Nepali waterkeeper Megh Bahadur Ale highlight the NYC-based group's urgent advocacy to protect our global waterways in this intimate evening, hosted by NS+ curator Elena Park.

March 7, 2025

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Join us in celebrating the winners of this year’s Hildegard Commission, National Sawdust’s groundbreaking mentorship initiative dedicated to empowering extraordinary women and marginalized genders in the early stages of their careers.

March 6, 2025

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Join us for our March Member Happy Hour on Monday, March 3rd starting at 6:30PM. We are excited to partner with Brooklyn local brand, Kato Sake Works who will lead us in a sake tasting of their popular beverages. Kato Sake Works is a neighborhood craft sake brewery in Bushwick, Brooklyn where you can enjoy handcrafted small-batch sake on draft at our taproom with live music and food popups. We look forward to seeing you there!

March 3, 2025

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KLARA is a chamber dance-opera in four Haikus for two pianos and soprano, exploring what it means to be human through the lens of artificial intelligence.

February 28, 2025

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Drawing from their NPR Album Of the Year Transylvanian Folk Songs featuring legendary reeds-man John Surman and their new ECM duo release Transylvanian Dance pianist Lucian Ban and violist Mat Maneri will reimagine through improvisation the Béla Bartók Field Recordings of folk songs from Transylvania using the unique acoustic possibilities of the National Sawdust space to bring back to life century old songs using live performance, audio from the original Edison wax cylinder recordings, rare handwritten manuscripts and photographs taken by Bartók himself in his field trips. Co-Presented with World Music Institute.

February 26, 2025

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The New York Times proclaims “Rafiq Bhatia is writing his own musical language,” heralding him as “one of the most intriguing figures in music today.” A guitarist, producer, and Academy Award-nominated composer “who refuses to be pinned to one genre, culture or instrument,” Bhatia makes sculptural, meticulously crafted music that finds common ground among ecstatic avant-garde jazz, mournful soul, fractured beats and building-shaking electronics.

February 22, 2025

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U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Neil Young and Peter Gabriel are just some of the legendary artists whose sound has been shaped by the visionary work of music producer, musician, and songwriter Daniel Lanois. Not to mention his contribution to the creation of ambient music, collaborations with Brian Eno, ground breaking film scores and his own catalog of ethereal and experimental music works that span the last 40+ years.

February 21, 2025

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Composer and National Sawdust Co-Founder Paola Prestini sits down with Jad Abumrad, creator of “Radiolab,” for a riveting interview about a decade of the state-of-the-art cultural institution.

February 21, 2025

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Art of Time Ensemble is proud to present A Singer Must Die, a concert in tribute to the legendary literary and musical icon Leonard Cohen. Featuring singers Steven Page, Sarah Slean, Tom Wilson and Gregory Hoskins, in a program that reimagines Cohen’s songs with the ensemble’s masterful, unique arrangements.

February 20, 2025

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Can certain frequencies shape human psychology? Could the science of sound unlock the mystery of ghosts? And what’s the story behind Pink Floyd’s infamous backward message? Sound always tells a story—but beneath every note, every frequency, lies something deeper, something hidden. Join “Stuff They Don’t Want You To Know” and special guest Justin Richmond of “Broken Record,” for a unique live performance event as they explore how sound reveals the secrets of life’s most intriguing mysteries. Presented by iHeartPodcasts and On Air Fest.

February 19, 2025

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Jake Charkey performs Rasika: Beyond the Bounded Territories, a compilation of commissioned works for the Indian cello and Hindustani music. Rasika explores hybridity, the overlapping spaces between Western music and Indian music, points of tension or commonality, and new ways of synthesizing Indian techniques and musical grammar.

February 15, 2025

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