An Evening of Improvised Music w/Chris Cogburn, Mike Khoury, & Hesam Abedi

Tue Feb 24 2026 at 07:30 pm to 09:30 pm UTC-05:00

Hippodrome Theatre | Gainesville

Pulp Arts
Publisher/HostPulp Arts
An Evening of Improvised Music w\/Chris Cogburn, Mike Khoury, & Hesam Abedi
Advertisement
Improvisers from around the world gather to perform spontaneous compositions & discuss the communities they manifest
About this Event

Chris Cogburn - Chris Cogburn is a percussionist, curator, and organizer based in Mexico City. Cogburn’s artistic practice and curatorial interests are rooted in the collaborative context of improvisation. Current music practices focus on the threshold between acoustic and electronic sounds, their differing timbral qualities, and their sites of resonance. Tensions between just intonation and the unfettered resonances of objects are a burgeoning concern informing his most recent work.


Current projects include A Spirale w/ Chris Cogburn with Italian experimentalists Mario Gabola and Maurizio Argenziano; Anáhuac, with Berlin turntablist Ignaz Schick and Mexico City double bassist Juan García; and Fear of the Object, an audio-visual project in collaboration with Norwegian video artist Kjell Bjørgeengen and an evolving cast of guest musicians including: Juan García (Mexico City), percussionist Ingar Zach (Madrid), Tubaist Martin Taxt (Oslo), and cellists Judith Hamann (Melbourne), and Aimée Theriot-Ramos (Amsterdam). He has released recordings on several labels, including: Astral Spirits, Another Timbre, INSUB, Simple Geometry, Balance Point Acoustics, SOFA, True Blanking, among others.


Beginning in the summer of 2003, Cogburn has hosted an annual festival of improvised music—No Idea Festival—showcasing collaborations between improvisors from around the world. Regarded for its curatorial process, No Idea Festival aspires to connect creative musicians, providing the space and time where creative process can flourish, leading towards new areas and approaches in the music. Based in Austin, Texas, No Idea events have been held in several cities in the US, Latin America, and Spain. 

More information:
Mike Khoury: Mike Khoury is a Palestinian-American composer, improviser, and curator focused on performance and documentation. Khoury has worked to establish an Arab-American avant-garde and document the movement's intellectual heritage through presenting his own work, publishing on the topic, and presenting other artists' work. As a curator, Khoury has engaged in community building through his curation of the Entropy Studios space and the Entropy Stereo record label issuing music from artists such as Faruq Z. Bey, Wendell Harrison, Bobby Bradford and Griot Galaxy.


Khoury has performed across North America, in Europe, and the Arab World. In 2018, Khoury was awarded a Knight Arts Challenge Grant to create new work. In 2020, Khoury was named a Kresge Arts in Detroit fellow.

Today, Khoury conducts ethnographical, sonic, and historical research from his laboratory and studios in Redford, MI. He has authored a chapter on the composer Halim El-Dabh published in an anthology on the Arab Avant Garde by Wesleyan University Press. Khoury also divides his time between his improvisational work and the Redford Civic Symphony Orchestra, of which he is a member of the first violin section. Current active projects include the ensemble Spite of Darkness, a duet with percussionist Ben Hall, and a duet with dancer/choreographer Leyya Tawil.
Hesam Abedi - Hesam Abedi is a composer-performer and music scholar currently pursuing a PhD in Ethnomusicology at the University of Florida. His research explores the socio-political dimensions of improvised music.

Advertisement

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Hippodrome Theatre, 25 Southeast 2nd Place, Gainesville, United States

Tickets

USD 12.51

Icon
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

Ask AI if this event suits you:

More Events in Gainesville

Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts
Mon, 23 Feb at 07:30 pm Tina - The Tina Turner Musical at Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts

Curtis M Phillips Center for Performing Arts

Parking Florida International Panthers at Florida Gators Baseball
Tue, 24 Feb at 08:30 am Parking Florida International Panthers at Florida Gators Baseball

Condron Family Ballpark

Teen Open Mic with We Rock Gainesville
Wed, 25 Feb at 06:00 pm Teen Open Mic with We Rock Gainesville

619 South Main Street, Gainesville, FL, United States, Florida 32601

Luke Schneider, Mike Baggetta, & J.Eel at Looseys Pub
Wed, 25 Feb at 07:30 pm Luke Schneider, Mike Baggetta, & J.Eel at Looseys Pub

Loosey's Downtown Gainesville

Parking Ole Miss Rebels at Florida Gators Womens Basketball
Thu, 26 Feb at 08:30 am Parking Ole Miss Rebels at Florida Gators Womens Basketball

Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center

Gainesville is Happening!

Never miss your favorite happenings again!

Explore Gainesville Events