Experimental Sound Studio

Experimental Sound Studio ESS is a non-profit, artist-run organization focused on sound in all its exploratory cultural manifes November is Membership Month!

Join at https://ess.org/donate. Experimental Sound Studio is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization dedicated to artistic evolution and the creative exploration of sound. As an international hub for sonic experimentation, ESS nurtures artists, heralds new works, and builds a broad, supportive community of makers, enthusiasts, and creative partners through preservation, production, presentation, and education.

Not much feels more fitting for the season than this documentation from ‘Mars Williams’ Toy Story,’ a new piece composed...
12/23/2025

Not much feels more fitting for the season than this documentation from ‘Mars Williams’ Toy Story,’ a new piece composed and performed by Lia Kohl, with Katinka Kleijn and Macie Stewart, Rosehill Cemetery/May Chapel this past May 2025. Video linked in bio.

Of the composition process, Lia said:

“I love Mars very much and loved collaborating with him. It’s been really a joy to make this piece. I was really prepared for it to be emotional, but I wasn’t prepared for how fun it would be and how much joy and giggling by myself in the basement of ESS would happen...it’s been really a joy to interact with the toys and feel like I’m collaborating with him in a very real way.”

ESS is proud to steward Mars’ vast collection of recordings and related materials in the Creative Audio Archive.

As we slide into 2026, ESS is celebrating the transition from this year to the next in a spirit of learning together by ...
12/18/2025

As we slide into 2026, ESS is celebrating the transition from this year to the next in a spirit of learning together by sharing videos from all three seasons of Patchbent workshops (linked in bio).

Over the past year, Patchbent presenters have covered a wide range of tech-forward topics in a learning community of femme, trans, and non-binary artists working with sound in Chicago.

Huge thanks to the teaching artists who have shared their expertise with us, and to everyone who comes to learn. We hope the warmth of this community keeps you company this season, and we’re excited to keep the workshops and meetups coming in 2026.








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Huge thanks to Ruth Arts for inviting a group of ESS staff and partner artists (partial group pictured here) to Milwauke...
12/16/2025

Huge thanks to Ruth Arts for inviting a group of ESS staff and partner artists (partial group pictured here) to Milwaukee for the opening of ‘Original Order Order Original: The Art and Archives of Bettina.’

It was a beautiful visit and set the tone for taking in more art together in 2026! We’re grateful for organizations like Ruth Arts who create intentional, generative spaces like this for connection and inspiration.

This evolving exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Rivers Institute for Contemporary Art and Thought, is on view through April 3, 2026. It’s worth a visit to Milwaukee!

More information at rutharts.org

Pictured here (from left to right)
Olivia Junell, Sarah Lutkenhaus, Alex Inglizian, Paige Naylor, Kioto Aoki, and Mauricio Lopez


Join us Dec 16 at ESS for “Subscendental Etudes” a special evening presented by New Music Chicago.RSVP Required. Link in...
12/12/2025

Join us Dec 16 at ESS for “Subscendental Etudes” a special evening presented by New Music Chicago.

RSVP Required. Link in bio.

This installment of NMC’s monthly series features a large-scale experimental piano trio upending human and environmental notions of relationship. Cacie Miller & Missing Piece perform “Subscendetal Etudes”—an
evening-length piano trio combining conventional notation and multiple forms of indeterminacy by Ben Zucker, composed for Miller’s Composing “The Climate Project.”

Ryan Deffet’s family, in collaboration with members of his music community and ESS, furthers his legacy of creativity, g...
12/11/2025

Ryan Deffet’s family, in collaboration with members of his music community and ESS, furthers his legacy of creativity, generosity, and collaboration through two new annual programs:

Ryan Deffet Studio Grant
The Ryan Deffet Studio Grant gives one Chicago-based musician free access to a day-long engineered studio session at ESS. This opportunity allows the artist to further their vision in a professional environment that they might not otherwise have access to.

Ryan Deffet Engineer Apprenticeship Award
This is a 4-month fellowship for a beginning career audio technician to gain hands-on experience apprenticing in the ESS recording studio.

Together, these programs aim to increase accessibility to resources and opportunities for people working in the Chicago music scene, with a vision of contributing to a world in which anyone can realize their creative vision and make a life in the arts.

Applications and further details will be released in early 2026.

Before then, please join us at DeffJam: Celebrating the Life of Ryan Deffet at Thalia Hall on January 3. A portion of ticket sales further supports these programs. Details linked in bio.

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of Sonic Pavilion Redux on Friday at ESS’s Audible galle...
12/09/2025

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of Sonic Pavilion Redux on Friday at ESS’s Audible gallery.

Congratulations to the artists for their amazing works, now in its second iteration. As many of you know, these pieces were initially presented this Summer at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, where the multi-channel works took full advantage of the trellised speaker array.

For Redux, the pieces were reimagined for a compact interior space, ESS’s intimate Audible gallery. Braving frigid winter temperatures, attendees were treated to a magical evening of enveloping and dynamic sonic works to warm their hearts and minds.

Using the gallery’s unique 8-channel speaker system, Sonic Pavilion Redux reimagines the gallery as a sound-forward experience.

Special thanks to artist Paige Alice Naylor, for their incredible onsite choral intervention with Andrew Tham, Corey Smith, Deidre Huckabay, Dora Hewitt, and Chris Wood

Sonic Pavilion Redux is on view at ESS’s Audible gallery through Feb, 1 by appointment.

Sonic Pavilion Redux artists:
Angel Bat Dawid & Eyeisha Sistrunk
Anna Friz & Jeff Kolar
David Bird
Glenn Kotche
Myles Emmons
Paige Alice Naylor
Saapato
Zouning Anne Liao



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Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of Sonic Pavilion Redux on Friday at ESS’s Audible galle...
12/09/2025

Huge thanks to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of Sonic Pavilion Redux on Friday at ESS’s Audible gallery.

Congratulations to the artists for their amazing works, now in its second iteration. As many of you know, these pieces were initially presented this Summer at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion, where the multi-channel works took full advantage of the trellised speaker array.

For Redux, the pieces were reimagined for a compact interior space, ESS’s intimate Audible gallery. Braving frigid winter temperatures, attendees were treated to a magical evening of enveloping and dynamic sonic works to warm their hearts and minds.

Using the gallery’s unique 8-channel speaker system, Sonic Pavilion Redux reimagines the gallery as a sound-forward experience.

Special thanks to artist Paige Alice Naylor, for their incredible onsite choral intervention with Andrew Tham, Corey Smith, Deidre Huckabay, Dora Hewitt, and Chris Wood

Sonic Pavilion Redux is on view at ESS’s Audible gallery through Feb, 1 by appointment.

Sonic Pavilion Redux artists:
Angel Bat Dawid & Eyeisha Sistrunk
Anna Friz & Jeff Kolar
David Bird
Glenn Kotche
Myles Emmons
Paige Alice Naylor
Saapato
Zouning Anne Liao



lida



radius

Join us Saturday Dec 13 from 5-7pm for an evening of celebration and deep listening with Ensemble Dal Niente.The group i...
12/08/2025

Join us Saturday Dec 13 from 5-7pm for an evening of celebration and deep listening with Ensemble Dal Niente.

The group is celebrating the release of “portrait RE / Flux / Pacific Time,” an album of commissioned compositions from George Lewis, Carola Bauckholt, and Igor Santos.

The ensemble is entering its third decade of collaborative exploration, a huge milestone!

RSVP at link in bio.


We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Outer Ear Sessions, a pilot program providing free recording studio access...
12/04/2025

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Outer Ear Sessions, a pilot program providing free recording studio access to 20+ Chicago-based artists each year for the next two years, thanks to a generous grant from the Walder Foundation.

Through the Outer Ear Sessions, ESS aims to increase accessibility to professional recording services, opening up space for artistic experimentation. Over the course of this exploratory venture, ESS will be gathering data, insights, and experience to feed further strategies towards building better economic systems around the distribution of performed work.

Simply put: space to experiment should not be a privilege.

The juried program will accept artists from all genres and career stages who are working to push the boundaries of their practice, leveling the playing field for working Chicago artists city-wide. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks! The first of two 2026 application cycles will go live before the end of the year.

See you Friday Dec 5 from 6-9pm for the opening reception of “Sonic Pavilion Redux.”Experimental Sound Studio5925 N Rave...
12/03/2025

See you Friday Dec 5 from 6-9pm for the opening reception of “Sonic Pavilion Redux.”

Experimental Sound Studio
5925 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60660
Free and open to the public. No RSVP required.

Joins us at ESS’s Audible gallery for this unique opportunity to experience 8 multichannel sound compositions from a stellar cohort of artists. Originally created for the 24-channel trellised speaker system at Jay Pritzker Pavilion, their works have been reimagined for ESS’s 8-channel system.

Chicago’s Paige Alice Naylor will present live intervention of their work supported by a choir featuring Allison Shackelford, Andrew Tham, Corey Smith, Deidre Huckabay, Dora Hewitt, and led by Chris Wood.

📢 Sonic Pavilion Redux Artist 📢
Angel Bat Dawid & Eyeisha Sistrunk
Anna Friz & Jeff Kolar
David Bird
Glenn Kotche
Myles Emmons
Paige Alice Naylor
Saapato
Zouning Anne Liao

Sonic Pavilion Festival was developed by Experimental Sound Studio. It was originally presented by the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). The initial event was supported by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation.



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Join us Thursday, Dec 4th from 6-10pm at .Our very own James Wetzel (), ESS’s Archive Director, will be DJing music sele...
12/02/2025

Join us Thursday, Dec 4th from 6-10pm at .

Our very own James Wetzel (), ESS’s Archive Director, will be DJing music selected from the Creative Audio Archive.

The set will feature a special selection of rare Sun Ra vinyl gifted to ESS/CAA by Irwin Chusid, the steward of the catalog of the late Sun Ra.

James will be spinning material from several CAA collections; Sun Ra / El Saturn, Malachai Ritscher, Studio Henry, and more.

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5925 N Ravenswood Avenue
Chicago, IL
60660

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+17739981069

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