Improvisation Summit of Portland 2025 Oct 13th – 29th
The 2026 Creative Music Guild Improvisation Summit explores the theme of Transitions & Transmutations: the ways artists, communities, and creative practices evolve through collaboration, experimentation, and change. Across eighteen days of performances, workshops, screenings, collaborative projects, and community gatherings, the festival examines transformation as both a personal and collective process, celebrating music as a space where ideas, identities, and artistic languages continuously shift, merge, and emerge anew.
Featuring more than 30 Pacific Northwest artists and ensembles alongside a distinguished roster of visiting artists, the Summit creates opportunities for meaningful exchange between local and national creative music communities. Guest artists include acclaimed saxophonist and composer Caroline Davis, vocalist, pianist, and composer Judith Berkson, vocalist Lorin Benedict, celebrated bassist and composer Todd Sickafoose, bassist and bandleader Keith Witty, and a special appearance by GEORGE, the boundary-defying ensemble featuring John Hollenbeck, Anna Webber, Sarah Rossy, and Chiquita Magic. The festival also highlights many of Portland’s most adventurous creative voices, including YAWA, the Akila Fields Trio, Brown Calculus, and the annual Improvisation Summit Round Robin hosted by Ben Woodman.
Through new collaborations, artist-led workshops, improvised performances, multimedia presentations, film screenings, and interdisciplinary projects, the Improvisation Summit highlights the transformative power of creative practice while fostering connections across generations, disciplines, and musical traditions. The result is a festival that reflects Portland’s vibrant experimental arts community while welcoming influential voices from across the country into a shared space of discovery, exchange, and innovation.
For this year’s CMG Improvisation Summit poster, we’re excited to feature artwork by Portland artist Eatcho, whose work blends imaginative illustration, mural-scale vision, and intricate detail. Based in Portland, Eatcho has spent decades creating murals, album art, editorial illustrations, and designs for both local arts communities and major clients, bringing a unique visual energy that reflects the creativity, spontaneity, and adventurous spirit at the heart of improvised music.
Click on each date below for full event details, artist bios, venue information, and links to music, videos, and additional resources.
Tuesday, October 13
Venue: Half Court Studio
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Caroline Davis
- YAWA
- Mike Gamble
Wednesday, October 14
Venue: Swan Dive (Downstairs)
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Arch Cape
- Krissy Bergmark
- Todd Sickafoose & Johnny Rodgers
Thursday, October 15
Venue: Swan Dive (Downstairs)
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Buckhorn
- Halfbird
- NAH
Friday, October 16
Venue: Blue Butler Studios
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- PoiKilo
- Ben Woodman
- Daniel Reyes Llinás
Saturday, October 17
Afternoon Performance
Venue: Speck’s Records
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM
Tickets: FREE
- Loren Benedict
- Machado Mijiga
Evening Performance
Venue: Reed College
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: FREE
- John Hollenbeck’s GEORGE
- 3rio (Mike Gamble, Machado Mijiga, Andrew Jones) with special guest Morgan Luker
Sunday, October 18
Venue: Leaven Community
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Lorin Benedict Solo
- Lorin & Delos Erickson
- Lorin, Delos Erickson & Machado Mijiga
- Craig Burk
- Code Poems
- Arrington de Dionyso’s Voice Mask
Monday, October 19
Early Show
Venue: Speck’s Records
Time: 5:00-7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- DinnerWitJesus
- Clodewerks
- Alex Callenberger
Evening Show
Venue: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Keith Witty Trio
- Andrew Jones with Richard Laws
- James Staub
Tuesday, October 20
Venue: No Fun
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Melissa Achten
- William DeLee
- Cameron Landers
Wednesday, October 21
Venue: Turn! Turn! Turn!
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Midwest Programme
- Dylan M. Howe
- Logan Stroshal
Thursday, October 22
Venue: Swan Dive (Downstairs)
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Leiderkries (Judith Berkson)
- REACTOR
- Stevie Schmidt
Friday, October 23
Venue: Leaven Community
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Judith Berkson Trio
- Ritchie Greene Orchestra
Saturday, October 24
Venue: Desert Island Studios
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
Improvisation Summit Round Robin
Hosted by Ben Woodman
Participants:
- Judith Berkson
- Paris Butler
- Mark Orton
- Brent Carmer
- Chang Park
- Myles Morris
- Wyck Malloy
- Sam Berrett
- Lisa Lipton
Video: Noah Simpson
Afterparty Music: MLTZ
Sunday, October 25
Counterpoint Workshop
Venue: Second Story Studios
Time: 12:00-3:00 PM
Tickets: $60
- Judith Berkson
Student Jam Session
Venue: 13th Moon Brewery
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: FREE
- Christian San Nicholas
Monday, October 26
Early Show
Venue: Speck’s Records
Time: 5:00-7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Anthony Stillabower
- Sam Adams
- Two Savage Denzels
Evening Show
Venue: Hallowed Halls
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Neighbors (Machado Mijiga, Mike Gamble, Garrett Baxter)
- Skerik
Tuesday, October 27
Venue: No Fun
Time: 8:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- blond-noise
- Oleo
- Alan Cook
Wednesday, October 28
Venue: The 1905
Times: 6:30 PM & 8:00 PM
- Akila’s Trio
Thursday, October 29
Venue: Swan Dive (Downstairs)
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Lisa Lipton
- Patrick McCulley
- Jakob Heinemann
Friday, October 30
Venue: Portland Arts Collective
Time: 7:00 PM
Tickets: $10-30 Suggested Donation
- Brown Calculus
- Joe Kye
