TOPOS 2026
September 2–5, 2026
Wednesday- Be the Media! 5PM
- Black Atlas 7PM
- The Strangeness of Jazz 6PM
- そして花びらは燃え、散りゆく
- And The Petals Burst Into Flames... 9PM
- Defiant Life 7PM
- Paris Syndrome 9PM
- Community BBQ NOON
- Improv Spaces presents
- Rock City Falls Trio and Sun Dogs 2PM
- The Strangeness of Drumming 4PM
- Festival Reception 5PM
- A Page of Madness 7PM
What does music know about us that we don't yet know about ourselves?
It shapes the rhythm of our days, bends our perspectives, and gives form to the stories we carry. The rituals we return to, both ordinary and transcendent, pulse with the emotional frequency of sound. At a moment when the world feels especially lonely and fractured, gathering together to listen intently may be one of the most radical acts available to us.
Featuring Vijay Iyer, Wadada Leo Smith, Miho Hatori, Edward George, Paul Abbott, IMA, Rock City Falls Trio (Improv Spaces), Sun Dogs (Improv Spaces), Fred Moten, and The Silent Light—TOPOS 2026 brings together different forms of music, not as genres but as provocative sites of experience.
Every presentation is a way into our own stories and of those around us, asking: do these stories have the potential to help us collectively reimagine new, and perhaps better, possible futures?
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Main Image: (Clockwise from top left) Miho Hatori, Artist Photo. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Margaret Lee. Edward George, Artist photo, 2022. Courtesy the artist. Photo: David Dacks. Paul Abbott, Artist photo. Courtesy the artist. Wadada Leo Smith and Vijay Iyer, Artist Photo. Pictured (l-r): Wadada Leo Smith, Vijay Iyer. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Ogata. The Silent Light, Artist photo. Pictured (l-r): Michael Formanksi, Matt Hardy. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Michael Formanski. Sun Dogs, Artist Photo. Pictured (l-r): Adam Tinkle, Dominique Vuvan. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jesse O’Connell. Rock City Falls Trio, Artist Photo. Pictured (l-r): Adam Forman, Alex Chang, Jason Handron. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Jessica Tomaselli. IMA, Artist Photo. Pictured (t-b): Nava Dunkelman, Amma Ateria. Courtesy the artist. Photo: IMA.
Festival Reel
Dates + Tickets
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TOPOS 2026 is presented by EMPAC. EMPAC is made possible by RPI. EMPAC’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
TOPOS 2026 partners are iEAR Presents, and Improv Spaces. Special thanks to Brooks’ BBQ, Sound House Records, and The Sanctuary for Independent Media.
