Henna Chou is a sound artist whose work explores the confluence of environmental listening, experimental practice, and socio-political inquiry. Drawing from the textures and rhythms of the natural and industrial world, their work engages with sound as both material and message—foregrounding issues of ecology, displacement, and collective memory.

Joshua Thomson is an alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader and founder of Atlas Maior, originally from the Dearborn/Detroit area and based in Austin, Texas. His work blends experimental jazz, global modal traditions, and free improvisation, creating a cinematic and highly exploratory sound described as possessing a “mystic, noir quality” and “fearless improvisational clarity.”

He has collaborated with artists including Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Lisa Cameron, Jonathan Horne, Karen Ng, Stefan Gonzalez, Aaron Gonzalez, Thomas Helton, Chris Cogburn, Adam Rudolph, Mike Khoury, Abdullah Kaymak, Henna Chou, Gary Calhoun James, and Alan Chehab, with project work including THC Trio, Clandestine Flower, Break/Fix, The Hatch Expansion Ensemble, and the Viva Palestina Orchestra. Thomson has developed international collaborations in Morocco with Gnawa musicians Maalem Abdelmalek Kadir and Maalem Azouz Soudani, as well as in Mexico City with Remi Álvarez, Arturo Báez, and Gibrán Andrade.

His work has been presented at venues and festivals including the Krannert Center, Rothko Chapel, Elastic Arts (Chicago), Dissonant Works (St. Louis), EMAS (Kansas City), and Sonic Transmissions Festival, with touring across the U.S., Europe, North Africa, and Mexico.

Henna and Joshua have collaborated in many capacities over the past 15 years via experimental sound, improvisation, world music and art installation formats.  They will be performing using cello, electronics and saxophone to further develop their improvisation practices as a duo.

Bao Nguyen is a performance and visual artist based in Baltimore and raised in Vietnam. They improvise through movement, action, voice and words to unravel a range of emotions. Recently, they recited Cardi B’s “WAP”, rolled in a blanket while being naked, ate soil, scolded the audience and asked for their keys. Bao messes up the context of DIY and institutional spaces they perform in to uncover collective intimacy, openness and vulnerability.

Sera Fleishman (Baltimore) is a singer and electronic music producer. Creating at the confluence of natural and digital, experimental and ephemeral, she has one single on the Polish Ambassador’s electronic label, Jumpsuit Records and is currently working on a compilation of her free improv recordings with artists of varying genres. She was also an environmental engineer, with the ocean as one of her favorite things.

Craig Bowen (Baltimore) plays abstract, often percussive electric guitar accompanied by off-kilter drum machine patterns, Performing in DC, New York and locally, he has released a cassette on Friends records. Craig owns and operates Tempo House recording studios

New Baltimorean Landon Peer is a multi-instrumentalist and composer known for his player piano albums and performances. He is also a church organist, shape-note singer, and Bach interpreter.

As a trio, they will perform vocal processing and synthesis, electric guitar, and viola in an open conversation. With sound design, percussive string work, and compositional instinct unfolding in real time, expect the unpredictable: a live collision of digital and acoustic.

Event location:

Normal's Book and Records