To celebrate National Hafez Day (October 12th in Iran), Taak Ensemble pays homage to this legendary 14th-century poet, weaving his poetry into their performance of classical and folk Persian music. 
Rooted in Persian music, history, and poetry, Taak Ensemble creates their own unique sound using vocals, tombak (Perisan goblet drum), santur (Persian dulcimer), and tar (Persian lute). Having performed at numerous music festivals, universities, and cultural institutions around the country, this concert marks Taak’s debut at City of Asylum.

Over the past few months, Yoko Suzuki has curated concerts showcasing the music of female jazz composers—Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane among them. Yoko closes out her series with a concert featuring the music of pianist and composer Geri Allen.

In-person tickets for this program are SOLD OUT. You can still join us online.
With multiple European tours already under their belt, QWANQWA, an Ethiopian experimenta/traditional ensemble, embarks on their  debut US tour. The tour visits 23 states with performances including the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Boston Global Music Festival, and the  North Carolina Folk Festival. Plus the City of Asylum stage. 
Founded in 2012, QWANQWA is a supergroup of musicians from the baddest ensembles of Addis Ababa, brought together by a shared passion for the power of Ethiopian music. Named for the Amharic word for “language,” QWANQWA, is a project creating dialogues between cultures, promoting the idea of music as universal language.

This concert features some of Cory’s original music as well as music by one of his biggest inspirations, saxophonist Hank Mobley. Local musicians Alton Merrell, Paul Thompson, and Thomas Wendt round out the group in what promises to be a lively, fun, and cool evening of music.

Ciao! Local group Alla Boara celebrates the release of their debut album, Le Tre Sorelle, with an intimate concert for the City of Asylum community.
Alla Boara seeks to bring recognition and new life to Italy’s diverse history of regional folk music. Their modern arrangements of near-extinct folk songs are surprising, playful, mournful, tender, and bewitching. Alla Boara’s dynamic work aims to inspire audiences of all ethnic heritages to treasure their musical roots and consider the contemporary cultural relevance of historical songs. Check out their spin on the Italian folk song “Fimmene, Fimmene” here.

City of Asylum artist-in-residence Mai Khôi presents a concert of brand-new music composed in collaboration with Pittsburgh-based pianist Mark Micchelli. 
Khôi founded Mai Khôi and the Dissidents in Vietnam in 2017 as a vehicle to perform her genre-busting songs protesting government censorship and police violence. The band performed secretly at underground shows in Hanoi until threats from the Vietnamese government forced the band to change their name, then ultimately dissolve. Following Khôi's exile to the United States, she reformed the band with local Pittsburgh musicians while continuing the group's radical mission. 

Multitalented and manifold, the members of Worldwide Tuning Society grace the Alphabet City stage for a night of uniquely exuberant music. Inspired by global roots-music and grounded by serious experience within them, Worldwide Tuning Society is a collective of diverse international performing artists and musicians dedicated to elevating spirit through sound. 

Samuel Boateng returns to City of Asylum with the ADEPA ensemble to share his journey as a transnational African artist using music, visual art, film, and scholarship as his medium. ADEPA, is a multidisciplinary group of musicians who perform highlife, afrobeat, jazz, and modern African music, drawing from adowa, azonto, agbadza, funk, kete, and gospel.

This program is a part of the Eris Quartet’s 2023 spring tour, which centers around their program "Paintings, Songs, and Dances," a presentation of contemporary string quartet repertoire through the lens of interdisciplinary performance.

Presented in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Modern Languages, this concert celebrates the release of "Montréal Encore." The album is a collaborative international project of Pittsburgh singer-songwriter Christopher Mark Jones and Montreal poet Bernard Pozier.  

After being cooped up and kept away from the stage during the pandemic, the Dan Pugach Nonet makes a joyful return to City of Asylum to reconnect and reinstate that sense of community we have all been missing. The nonet is led by GRAMMY® nominated drummer and composer Dan Pugach.