In a collaborative duo between the experimental composer and modular synth guru Jeremiah Chiu and viola virtuoso Marta Sofia Honer, the unique tonal colors of these otherwise disparate instruments flow together into a tender and magical music with strands of new age and ambient. On their critically acclaimed album “Recordings From the Åland Islands” (2022), the listener is invited on a dreamlike journey through the grand, misty landscapes of the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea. Join the journey yourself when Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer perform at ALICE.

The combination of modular synthesizer and viola may seem unusual, but Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer have managed to create a duo that gracefully and authentically melds the distinctive tonal colors of these instruments. Their music is infused with influences from years of love and companionship, collaborations, and shared experiences and projects, culminating in a unique aesthetic reality. This is evident on their beautifully radiant joint album “Recordings From the Åland Islands” (2022), which takes the listener on a journey beyond time and place. The album consists of post-composed improvisations with hints of both new age and ambient, interwoven with field recordings from their stay on the Åland Islands, echoing a dreamlike wander through grand, misty landscapes. The album has been widely praised in the music press, with Mojo describing it as an “Ambient field trip to a Baltic archipelago.”

Individually, Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer are outstanding artists in their own right. Chiu is an experimental composer and modular synthesizer guru on the Los Angeles scene, known for his visual art as well as his music. As a professor at Otis College of Art and Design, Chiu collaborates regularly with artists such as Booker Stardrum, Celia Hollander, and Dustin Wong. Viola virtuoso Marta Sofia Honer is a sought-after, five-time Grammy-nominated session musician for artists like Beyoncé, Adrian Younge, Chloe x Halle, Angel Olsen, Fleet Foxes, and Stanley Clarke. In addition to her session work, Honer is a faculty member at California State University. Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer met fittingly as members of a large ensemble performing Terry Riley’s “In C” at an annual concert organized by Bitchin Bajas at Chicago’s modern music hub Constellation. Thus, we have two brilliant musicians coming together in this project, and we can guarantee a beautiful evening when Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer visit ALICE.