Shahzad Ismaily X Greg Saunier X Maria Chavez at Solar Myth

Ars Nova Workshop presents the genre-defying trio of Shahzad Ismaily, Greg Saunier and Maria Chavez at Solar Myth on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Please join us for the Philadelphia debut of this remarkable trio, bringing together three musicians whose work is united by a commitment to artistry beyond category. Shahzad Ismaily (Arooj Aftab, Ceramic Dog), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and turntablist/sound artist Maria Chavez came together as a trio for the first time on stage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in May 2025. That debut performance received a glowing review in The Wire, where writer Vanessa Ague heralded it as “a reminder of… the sheer joy of seeing what surprises we can find in sound.”...

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Ars Nova Workshop presents the genre-defying trio of Shahzad Ismaily, Greg Saunier and Maria Chavez at Solar Myth on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Please join us for the Philadelphia debut of this remarkable trio, bringing together three musicians whose work is united by a commitment to artistry beyond category. Shahzad Ismaily (Arooj Aftab, Ceramic Dog), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof) and turntablist/sound artist Maria Chavez came together as a trio for the first time on stage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in May 2025. That debut performance received a glowing review in The Wire, where writer Vanessa Ague heralded it as “a reminder of… the sheer joy of seeing what surprises we can find in sound.”

Called “musicians’ favorite musician” by The New York Times, Shahzad Ismaily is a multi-instrumentalist and producer who has worked with a staggering range of musical minds, including John Zorn, Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, Tom Waits, Marc Ribot, Arooj Aftab, Bonnie Prince Billy, Nels Cline and countless others. Greg Saunier is a founding member of the reliably unpredictable band Deerhoof as well as a “polyrhythmically rewarding and puckishly anti-corporate” (Stereogum) drummer, composer and improviser who has worked with Yoko Ono, Arto Lindsay, Anthony Braxton, Mike Watt and others. Maria Chavez is an abstract turntablist, sound artist and DJ whose work across mediums is united by coincidence, chance and failures. Her approach is rooted in Deep Listening, developed by her late mentor Pauline Oliveros. Artforum has hailed her as “a bricoleur of intricate, cerebral, capricious sonic landscapes constructed through improvised sampling.”

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