Mission

Ars Nova Workshop informs, inspires, and challenges listeners to elevate the role of jazz, improvisation, and experimental music in contemporary culture. ANW events provide a forum for discourse, emergent trends in contemporary music, and unique forms of cultural exchange, while nurturing a diverse community for innovative music.

Overview

Winner of the ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and Philadelphia Magazine’s “Best of Philly” award, ANW is an internationally recognized jazz presenter that “has made Philadelphia a welcome stop for premier avant-garde jazz" (Spin Magazine). ANW has been the subject of numerous articles in the local and national press, including The New York Times, Wire Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Jazz Times, and The Wall Street Journal. In the last 13 years, ANW has programmed over 600 unique events throughout Philadelphia, often in partnership with leading cultural institutions, including International House Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Art Alliance, Settlement Music School, and the Painted Bride Art Center. Performances have featured many of the most significant contributors to jazz and experimental music over the last 50 years, including Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, Henry Threadgill, Brad Mehldau, Pauline Oliveros, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Tony Conrad, Thurston Moore, David S. Ware, Reggie Workman, and MacArthur fellows Anthony Braxton, Ken Vandermark, Vijay Iyer, George Lewis, and John Zorn. In addition, ANW fosters performance opportunities and visibility for exceptional Philadelphia-based musicians such as Pew fellows Odean Pope, Dave Burrell, Charles Cohen, Bobby Zankel, Khan Jamal, and Dan Blacksberg, and scouts and presents emerging artists from around the world.