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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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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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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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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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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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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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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“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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On December 14, Rebecca Foon takes the stage at National Sawdust for a performance that bridges the worlds of contemporary chamber music and ambient sounds. Known for her work with Saltland, Esmerine, and Thee Silver Mt. Zion, Foon’s music blends cello, voice, and minimalist electronics and beats into evocative soundscapes that radiate both intimacy and strength.

December 14, 2025

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The UK-born and New York-based singer, songwriter, producer, doula, and mother Domino Kirke brings MAMA WAS A ROLLING STONE to National Sawdust. Featuring Domino Kirke and fellow mama musicians—Rachael Price (of Lake Street Dive), Odetta Hartman, Sima Cunningham, Eva Tolkin, and Joan As Police Woman—this evening will fundraise for Carriage House Birth. A portion of all proceeds will be donated to a scholarship fund to support training and birth education for doulas and families.

December 17, 2025

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Join us at National Sawdust on December 18 from 6:30–8:30 PM for an evening of music, conversation, and great company. Enjoy a live DJ set by Twelve45 and a special tasting experience from our friends at Kato Sake Works, featuring their hand-crafted sake selections.

December 18, 2025

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Beth Morrison Projects presents BMP: SONGBOOK, a live performance and multi-faceted celebration marking two decades of trailblazing innovation in American opera. Over two unforgettable evenings, BMP: SONGBOOK brings together extraordinary artists who helped shape BMP’s legacy, performing highlights from some of our most iconic productions.

January 7, 2026

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Beth Morrison Projects presents BMP: SONGBOOK, a two-night live performance event celebrating twenty years of groundbreaking innovation in American opera. This milestone production brings together the extraordinary artists who have defined BMP’s legacy, performing unforgettable selections from some of the company’s most iconic works.

January 8, 2026

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For the fourth year in a row, on January 10, Winter Jazzfest’s signature Marathon heads to Brooklyn for its second night; a night of expansive sounds spread across Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn Bowl, Superior Ingredients, Loove Labs Annex, Baby’s All Right, National Sawdust, and Union Pool. Like our Manhattan Marathon, our Brooklyn Marathon highlights artists who blur genre lines while staying rooted in jazz’s spirit of invention.

January 10, 2026

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Join us for an evening featuring the work of composer Huang Ruo, including the NY Premiere of "A Dust In Time" performed by members of the National Sawdust Ensemble and "Song of Everlasting Regret" performed by mezzo-soprano Kelly Clarke and pianist Joanne Kang. Huang Ruo’s "A Dust In Time" traces a meditative journey inspired by Tibetan Buddhist sand mandalas. The one-hour palindromic passacaglia grows towards ecstasy from silence before returning to its source.

January 25, 2026

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What is the sound of our personal histories? What happens when our family stories become melody and rhythm, and when that music fills the air in a room of listeners? Join Kaoru Watanabe and a dynamic ensemble of artists at National Sawdust for Bloodlines Interwoven—an evocative evening of original music and storytelling that honors the beauty of cultural inheritance and collective memory.

January 29, 2026

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“Sometimes you gotta write the songs you need to hear,” musician, actor and author Lola Kirke says of the title track of her new album Trailblazer. “The culture a lot of us are living in is designed to make you feel like you’re failing. That you’re headed in the wrong direction if you’re not consuming and conforming. It’s easy for me to forget that. So I wrote a song to remind me.”Such is the affirmation that begins Kirke’s third full length LP—a singular blend of classic country tropes and ethereal sonic landscapes: “when you feel like a failure, baby you’re a trailblazer.” Released on the heels of her debut book, a memoir-in-essays entitled Wild West Village (Simon and Schuster 2025) chronicling her dysfunctional upbringing in London and New York City, the highs and lows of her career as an actress in Hollywood and her unusual path to Nashville and country music, it’s safe to say: Kirke’s trailblazing ability isn’t so murky. In fact, it’s dazzlingly clear.

February 7, 2026

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KP + Mato is the collaborative project of Mato Wayuhi (Oglala Lakota) and Katherine Paul (Swinomish / Iñupiaq), known as Black Belt Eagle Scout. Together, the two artists merge their worlds—Mato’s boundary-bending hip-hop, soul, and experimental production with KP’s soaring guitar textures and raw, melodic indie rock. The result is a lush, emotionally charged sound that lives somewhere between dream pop, electric storytelling, and ancestral pulse.

February 10, 2026

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The renowned performer of Philip Glass’s music in a performance of “classics” of the minimalist repertory, iconic music by Philip Glass and Brubaker’s own piano reworkings of ambient pieces by Brian Eno, including portions of Music for Airports. Eno heard Glass playing in England, Glass made versions for orchestra of the groundbreaking music of Eno and David Bowie. At National Sawdust, American pianist Bruce Brubaker unites the music of Philip Glass and Brian Eno.

February 12, 2026

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What is the sound of our personal histories? What happens when our family stories become melody and rhythm, and when that music fills the air in a room of listeners? Join Kaoru Watanabe and a dynamic ensemble of artists at National Sawdust for Bloodlines Interwoven—an evocative evening of original music and storytelling that honors the beauty of cultural inheritance and collective memory.

February 25, 2026

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The Refugee Orchestra Project shares music by composers who were forced to leave their homelands, as they express these life-altering experiences through music and story-telling. Join refugee composers and performers on their journey, as we celebrate what it means to live the American dream.

March 13, 2026

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“The hyphen-rich vocalist-percussionist-speaker-producer-activist’s vibe isn’t so much “singer-songwriter” as “icon of empowerment.” Her frenetic odes to feminism, fluidity and freedom — carried off with the assistance of an entirely female or nonbinary band — mash together fragments of electro-pop, trap, Afrobeat and R&B, carried off with endless swagger.” – NPR

March 20, 2026

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Mai Khôi & the Dissidents present a 2-in-1 concert performance: first, they will present “Bad Activist,” where Mai Khôi recounts her journey from pop stardom to activism through a spellbinding mixture of original music, projections, archival footage, and theatrical performance. Throughout the narrative, “Bad Activist” confronts urgent political issues including the legacy of imperialism, the deleterious effects of censorship on arts and speech, and the worsening human rights situation in Vietnam. The story ends with Khôi’s exile in the United States, where she is once again confronted with the same rising authoritarianism she fled six years ago. After a dinner break, the band will perform music from their upcoming album “Five Years in Exile,” which will be available for the first time following the show. Their new songs address issues of climate change, political incarceration, and corporate oligarchy, as well as personal stories of love, loss, and life away from home.

March 21, 2026

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“Division of Time," an evening-length work for cello, Yamaha Disklavier™ piano and jugglers, features cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and London-based Gandini Juggling performing music composed by Eric Nathan with choreography by Gandini Juggling, in a groundbreaking celebration and exploration of music, movement, and technology. "Division of Time" speaks about humanity and its relationship to numbers, weaving a dramatic arc that is both thrilling and touching, complex and visceral, poetic and humorous.

March 25, 2026

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“Division of Time," an evening-length work for cello, Yamaha Disklavier™ piano and jugglers, features cellist Jeffrey Zeigler and London-based Gandini Juggling performing music composed by Eric Nathan with choreography by Gandini Juggling, in a groundbreaking celebration and exploration of music, movement, and technology. "Division of Time" speaks about humanity and its relationship to numbers, weaving a dramatic arc that is both thrilling and touching, complex and visceral, poetic and humorous.

March 25, 2026

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Mali Obomsawin is a bassist, vocalist, songwriter and composer. She is a citizen of Odanak First Nation. Obomsawin’s bold artistry punctures the complacency of colonial time with irresistible sound. An international touring artist and celebrated accompanist, her current projects include her eponymous experimental ensemble, the rock band Deerlady, and the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band. Obomsawin's expansive artistic practice models the complexity of 21st century Indigenous art.

April 12, 2026

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This program weaves together themes of nature, ecopoetics, and heritage through a new work for string quartet and mezzo-soprano by composer Anthony Cheung, inspired by the poetry of Arthur Sze and Victoria Chang. Sze’s work, often associated with the ecopoetics movement, and Chang’s reflections on the natural world, both draw from traditional Asian poetic forms while resonating deeply with contemporary sensibilities. This collaboration amplifies Asian voices across disciplines—poet, composer, and performers alike—and reflects a shared reverence for nature and cultural inheritance.

April 25, 2026

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Pequena Vertigem de Amor — the third full-length in Sergio Sayeg’s expanding catalogue as Sessa — is not just an evolution in the São Paulo artist’s sound; it is a transformation. Like a camera lens slowly zooming out, Sessa’s records reveal a progression from the private, carnal and earth-bound erotic desires probed on 2019’s Grandeza, to an exploration of the limits and possibilities in relationships between people in love on 2022’s Estrela Acesa.

May 9, 2026

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New York Youth Symphony's most collaborative event of the year. NYYS Musicians from Orchestra, Chamber Music and Jazz perform world premieres of original works by NYYS composers which are conducted by members of the Robert L. Poster Apprentice Conducting program. It is a truly special, don't-want-to-miss evening.

May 19, 2026

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