Concert: NOMON

NOMON is an electro-percussion duo of sisters Shayna and Nava Dunkelman, united by a shared vision to expand how percussion can speak, move, and connect. They are driven by curiosity, exploring rhythm not only as sound, but as energy, gesture, and emotion. They believe percussion can embody both structure and freedom, precision and vulnerability.

After spending years apart working on their own unique voices, they came together in 2018 to form NOMON.

Born and raised in Tokyo, Japan to an Indonesian mother and an American father, the sisters became multi-instrumentalists performing alongside their mother, a musician and composer active in Asia and the Middle East.

In addition to solo performances, Shayna toured with Pulitzer Award-Winning and Grammy-nominated composer Du Yun, Balún, Ali Sethi, and Grammy Award-winning ensemble Attacca Quartet among others. Nava is a member of electro-percussion experimental noise duo IMA, and has performed or collaborated with Fred Frith, John Zorn, William Winant, Ikue Mori, Brandon Seabrook, Angélica Negrón, Pauchi Sasaki, and gabby fluke-mogul and many others.

Opener: Mikel Patrick Avery

A percussionist, composer/improvisor, filmmaker, photographer, and designer of modern pedal and electronic instruments, artist Mikel Patrick Avery considers this multiplicity as one practice: creative problem solving. Gifted in various musical genres, his rigorous work of performance, improvisation, composition, and experimentation spans jazz, experimental, and electronic music. With his deep understanding of the historical and contemporary significance of various genres, he explores the uses of improvisation to navigate uncertainty, imagine alternative futures, and inspire social cohesion. Avery has collaborated and performed with numerous ensembles including Natural Information Society, Rob Mazurek’s Exploding Star Orchestra, Marshall Allen's Ghost Horizons, Tomeka Reid, the Jeff Parker Quartet, Kurt Vile, Big Thief, and Theaster Gates’ ensemble, The Black Monks of Mississippi.

This concert is co-presented by Otherly Love and Asian Arts Initiative. Support for artist and booking coordination by Yuri Seung.