New Music Circle announces 2020-21 season schedule, with all shows streaming online

New Music Circle has announced their schedule for the 2020-21 season, which will see the venerable presenting organization going all online for their 62nd year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

NMC plans to present online performances twice a month on their YouTube channel, starting on Monday, October 5 with a trio led by Angel Bat Dawid, clarinetist, composer and vocalist affiliated with Chicago's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) who's also been part of recent shows by a revived Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Then on Monday, October 9, NMC will present a collaboration involving video creator Waterbod and Belleville's Kingston Family Singers.

More local artists will be on tap on Monday, November 9, with a video compilation featuring works by Kevin Harris, Sarah Downen, former St. Louisan John Wiese,  Fiat_Lx, and more. Two weeks later on Monday, November 23, percussionist Kaleb Kirby and electronic musician JoAnn McNeill will present solo sets.

On Monday, December 7, percussionist Claire Rousay and saxophonist Michael Foster will perform together, making up for their St. Louis date originally scheduled for this past April but cancelled due to the pandemic lockdown.

NMC then will wrap up 2020 on Monday, December 21 with a program featuring a solo set from vocalist Charmaine Lee, plus more from John Wiese.

Programming for the new year will get underway on Sunday, January 10, with another show making up for one cancelled this season, featuring saxophonists Ken Vandermark (pictured) and Ingrid Laubrock and drummer Tom Rainey doing solo and collaborative works.

Next up on Sunday, January 24, bassist Damon Smith, a recent transplant to St. Louis, and Nashville-based saxophonist Jayve Montgomery each will play solo sets.

More solo performances will be spotlighted in February, with guitarist and banjo player Wendy Eisenberg and guitarist Kee Avil on Monday, February 8, and St. Louis' own JJ Hamon and Louis Wall on Monday, February 22.

The season continues on Monday, March 8 with an event featuring a solo performance from Nashville bassist Matt Nelson , plus a duo set from violinist Alex Cunningham and guitarist Mark Shippy.

Two weeks later, St. Louis-based electronic musicians Parisian and Oxherding will perform solo sets on Monday, March 22.

The final program of the season, planned for April but with the exact date still TBA, will feature the STL String Collective.

All events will be free to view, but NMC will be accepting donations to help finance their continuing activities.