The Eyrie Festival is the culminating celebration of the Blackbird Creative Lab community, produced by Eighth Blackbird as part of its 18-month residency at the Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture. This landmark gathering brings together more than fifty composers and performers from across the Lab’s history—alumni, faculty, and special guests—for two days of innovative, collaborative performance.
Since its founding in 2017, the Blackbird Creative Lab has served as a catalyst for creative experimentation and professional growth, supporting early- and mid-career artists working at the forefront of contemporary classical and experimental music. Each year, the Lab convenes performers and composers for an immersive two-week residency that emphasizes collaboration, risk-taking, and the reimagining of concert performance. Over the past decade, it has fostered a thriving network of alumni who are reshaping the landscape of new music through innovation and community.
The Eyrie Festival brings this creative network to life, showcasing works first developed during the Lab alongside bold new commissions and projects that have emerged since. The festival embodies the Lab’s spirit of experimentation and fellowship, offering audiences a rare glimpse into the evolving artistic dialogue that has defined Eighth Blackbird’s legacy.
Festival Artists and Programming
The Eyrie Festival unites more than fifty composers, performers, and ensembles from across the history of the Blackbird Creative Lab, including alumni from every cohort since 2017, current and former faculty, and special guest artists. Together they embody the collaborative spirit that defines the Lab’s creative community.
Opening Night
Friday, November 7 in the Paradiso Ballroom
Cocktail Reception, 6:30 PM
Exclusive for Festival Pass holders, featuring live performance interludes.
Opening Concert, 7:30 PM
World premieres and chamber works by Tyler Eschendal, Ari Sussman, April Dawn Guthrie, Arjan Singh, and others, including Learn to Fly by David Lang and Cursive Birds by Alex Koi and Kirin McElwain. The evening concludes with a large-scale ensemble performance in the Paradiso Ballroom.
Community Music Celebration
Saturday, November 8
Throughout the Athenaeum Center
Community Music Celebration, 12:00 PM
Beginning at noon, a food truck from 5411 Empanadas opens along Oakdale avenue along with a bar inside serving coffee, wine, and beer.
At 1:00 PM, the Athenaeum Center transforms into a walk-around, “choose-your-own-adventure” music experience featuring eight rotating sets across four performance spaces. Audiences are invited to wander, linger, and explore as festival artists present twenty-minute mini-concerts that alternate every half hour. Performers include The Employment Pages, AREPO, Jocelyn Zelasko, Liza Sobel, Icarus Quartet, Jordan Curcuruto, and Justin Wright, among others.
Closing Concert
Saturday, November 8
Historic Main Stage
Closing Concert, 7:30 PM
The festival concludes with a dynamic evening of chamber and ensemble works by Julia Moss, Viet Cuong, Molly Joyce, Wenbin Lyu, Nicolás Benavides, Tyler Eschendal, Harriet Steinke, and Sophie Mathieu, closing with Finding Space, a collective reimagining by the 2023 Lab composers.
Together, these performances trace the evolution of the Blackbird Creative Lab’s artistic legacy, offering audiences an immersive journey through sound, experimentation, and collaboration.
Festival Pass
Experience the full Eyrie Festival with a Festival Pass, which includes admission to both evening concerts on Friday and Saturday, and access to the exclusive pre-show cocktail reception on Friday, in the Paradiso Ballroom. The Festival Pass also grants entry to the free Saturday daytime “Choose-Your-Own-Adventure” programming, offering an immersive experience across the Athenaeum Center. Single-day tickets are also available.
Student and senior pricing is available for all tickets. For details, please contact the Box Office at (312) 820-6250 or info@athenaeumcenter.org.
About Eighth Blackbird: Artist in Residence
Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the smartest, most dynamic ensembles on the planet,” Eighth Blackbird has been transforming the chamber music experience since 1996. Known for blending virtuosic performance with theatricality and multimedia innovation, the ensemble has earned multiple Grammy Awards and the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions.
Through its residency at the Athenaeum Center, Eighth Blackbird deepens its mission to reimagine the concert experience, fostering creative dialogue, community engagement, and interdisciplinary exploration through the Eyrie Festival and beyond.
About the Residency
Residencies at the Athenaeum Center provide artists the time and space to explore new ideas, collaborate with peers, and engage communities in meaningful ways. Eighth Blackbird’s 18-month residency embodies the Center’s mission to support innovative work that bridges disciplines and inspires new ways of thinking. Through performances, workshops, and collaborative events, this residency expands access to contemporary classical music while cultivating a deeper appreciation for the creative process.
Experience the innovation, collaboration, and collective imagination of the Blackbird Creative Lab community.
Get Tickets | Festival Pass
Travel & Lodging
For attendees traveling from out of town, the Warwick Allerton – Chicago is offering a special festival rate for Eyrie Festival guests. Conveniently located on the Magnificent Mile, the hotel is just a short drive or train ride from the Athenaeum Center.
Warwick Allerton – Chicago
701 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 440-1500
To reserve, call the hotel directly and mention your attendance at the Eyrie Festival to receive the preferred rate.
