Hailed by composer Missy Mazzoli as “a perfect troubadour for these extraordinary times,” Nicki Sekhar shatters genre and style, creating a voice unique unto themself. They are a Brooklyn-based composer, arranger, and vocalist whose work has been performed by ensembles such as Hypercube, The Rhythm Method, Dither, and Uniting Voices Chicago. Growing up, Nicki sang in Uniting Voices Chicago for nine years, and currently sits on UVC’s Alumni Task Force. In 2020, with UVC’s nomination, they were named to the Rising Star Honor Roll for Music by the City of Chicago. Nicki Sekhar celebrates the release of their debut studio album, The Juniper Suite, joined by special guests Thor Keefer, M. Turner McCabe, and Zeelie Brown. 

Opening the evening is No1 (M. Turner McCabe)—a versatile artist and composer based in Brooklyn, NY, specializing in not only classical and chamber music, but also electronic music, DJing, pop music, and many other mediums. Being a queer individual from Appalachia who grew up on the internet, Turner’s work not only celebrates queer community and collaboration but also the opportunity for levity in music and art. Drawing inspiration from Gen Z and internet culture, their work is inspired by online queer spaces, absurdist meme culture, glitch aesthetics, and open access to information and music. No1’s “Music” series is an act that embraces free improvisation and the open process of creating new ideas, all while questioning the boundaries of what “music” actually is.