Improvisers Exchange Expands Definitions of Music
Once every month at the Rose Bowl Tavern in downtown Urbana, if you go on a Monday afternoon, you’ll see an interesting combination of musicians on stage, playing some instruments you may not be familiar with: a healthy mix of percussion, strings, and electronics from far-flung corners of the world, all being led in spontaneous composition by Jason Finkelman, Artistic Director of Global Arts Performance Initiatives here at Krannert Center. This is a performance of the Improvisers Exchange (IE), an educational and programming line of Krannert Center and the School of Music at the University of Illinois.
“IE programming presents guest artists in concerts, workshops, residencies, lectures and discussions,” Finkelman said.” The Improvisers Exchange Ensemble is a credited performance ensemble of the School of Music that performs monthly in the community at the Rose Bowl Tavern, and on campus every academic year in various locations.”
IE’s roots go back to 2003, when Finkelman organized and Improviser’s Summit of students and community members. This led to the inaugural IE concert series, designed to help build a community of musicians interested in collective improvisation. It gradually expanded from there.
“In the fall of 2017, Improvisers Exchange launched programming deeply investigating the field of music improvisation on campus and in the community and formed a student performance ensemble in the School of Music,” Finkelman explained. “The program continued through the Covid years and after and became a program of Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in the Fall of 2023.”
In addition to live performances by local musicians, Finkelman also invites musicians to give workshops in the art of improvisation, ranging from experimental practices, through avant-garde jazz, to music traditions of the world. Goals for the student ensemble include introducing students to diverse and dynamic worlds of music improvisation through experiential learning and direct engagement with those visiting artists. “For students who have experienced traditional educational pathways in classical music and jazz, Improvisers Exchange introduces a wide spectrum of sound experiences, Finkelman says. “But ultimately, and perhaps most importantly, Improvisers Exchange fosters community building through sound.”
IE is open to musicians of all levels of experience and stylistic backgrounds, Finkelman explains. “I promote the music we collectively create as ‘omni-idiomatic’ improvised music, which draws from the embodied practice of each musician, while encouraging experimentation and exploration that may realize new sound experiences. One only needs to show up at workshop to participate as a listener, and if there’s an opportunity to play, they should come prepared with an instrument of choice.”
Several workshops are being offered his semester, including Ravid Momin aka Sunken Cages on October 10, and performing artists Atlas Maior on October 25. Workshops are generally held on Fridays from 3-5pm in the Orchestra Rehearsal Room on level 2 at Krannert Center. All workshops are free.
Those interested in Improvisers Exchange can finkelma [at] illinois.edu (contact Jason Finkelman) for more information.