iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bluesky is not designed for long-form posting I know. But this just isn't something I know how to be concise about: I had a weird, misplaced optimism when I was a young man that we were gradually headed into a more enlightened age...

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Do you have an inner monologue? Is it linear, or might it be better described as a "chewing gum tornado?" Is it 50% (or more!) nonverbal?? If you're near Boston, you should come to C. Neil Parsons' extraordinary solo theater/music/dance performance this Saturday!

"50% NONVERBAL" in a cartoon text bubble, from an individual playing a trombone. "Storytelling. Performance Art. Inarticulate Nonsense."
"A (mostly) solo variety show by C. Neil Parsons"

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Winsor Music in Brookline! Very fun program…

Concert program showing a variety of works by former students of Nadia Boulanger.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Amazing and intimate solo performance by Wendy Eisenberg at the Somerville Armory tonight. Great intricate songs from her newest solo album rendered with the most elastic sense of expressive time, guitar pulling one way & voice another, always re-converging.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

PS - Many questions people have about this Boston New Music Calendar and how it works might be answered by the following blog post: www.curtiskhughes.com/blog/new-mus...

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

This here Boston New Music Calendar has been updated with tons of events for the 2026-27 season, but it's still early enough that I hope it can be ESPECIALLY helpful to people still planning concerts, so you can see when lots of stuff is going AND when it ISN'T. newmusiccalendar.com/boston.html

A sample image of upcoming Boston New Music Calendar listings

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Tonight at the Lilypad it was one high-intensity & velocity set (BLINK) and one super mellow, introspective & spacious set (Kit Demos quartet). Loved them both - and loved the contrast. Both stayed literally cool due to the excellent AC in the room and the cold beer.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

I made a day trip to the Northampton area on Sunday for this truly outstanding concert, including premieres by @julwerntz.bsky.social & Kate Soper & my first live experience of Grisey’s Talea.

Concert Program showing the Etchings Festival with works by David Sanford, Michael Djupstrum, Kate Soper, Stratis Minakakis, Tobias Hume, Julia Werntz, Gerard Grisey

Performers Stratis Minakakis, Jihye Chang, Jordan Harrell, Robert Bui, Aleksis Martin, Lily Xie acknowledging the audience applause from the stage

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Some highlights from the Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko show at the Cape Ann Museum…

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Here’s the setup for a performance I attended a couple of nights ago… Can you tell what band is about to take the stage just from seeing the stage set-up?

Small concert stage including 2 drum sets in front, facing one-another, a vibraphone, guitars & synths and other miscellany around the circumference.

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Reposted by Curtis

Elizabeth Warren @warren.senate.gov · 30/06/2026

Right-wing extremists and the MAGA movement are determined to single out, target, and harm the trans community. My heart is with trans kids and their loved ones. I won’t stop fighting for them.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I was absent from the concert scene for much of the past month for various reasons, but had a chance to catch some of this program earlier this weekend w/ great playing by Jalen Seapker on flute and Hubert Ho on piano.

Concert program showing works by ascension, Kyrese Washington, Reynold Tharp, Allison Loggins-Hull, Bert Van Herck, Valerie Coleman, Florence Price, with stage at the Clark Government Center Auditorium in Waltham MA in background.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

Hmmm, who are we here to see??

A stage seen from above (from a glass balcony) with drum set, upright bass, guitar and various gear but no people yet.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

we had lunch yesterday at a Clover for the very last time - the sad news of the local chain’s demise has made me more than a little upset, not just for this specific loss, but for what it represents…

A tray of food from Clover: soy BLT, rosemary fries, lentil side dish, chickpea red pepper side dish, mushroom platter, mint lemonade etc, with Doria smiling sadly and making a heart symbol with her hands

The exterior of Clover restaurant in Harvard square

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 13/05/2026

2 phenomenal (and extremely contrasting) sets presented by point01percent at the Lilypad last night! (You can’t see Pandelis Karyorgis at the piano here in the 2nd set but he was most definitely there leading this all-star band spanning generations of great improvisers.)

From left to right: Jorrit Dijkstra on sax, Jeff Song on cello, Bruno Raberg on bass, Eric Rosenthal on drums

From left to right: Taylor Ho Bynum on trumpet, Noah Campbell on sax, Bill Lowe on trombone, Nate McBride on bass, Luther Gray on drums

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Doria and Curtis, aka "items," will perform at Somerville Porchfest on Saturday May 9 at 4:30 PM, 10 Tennyson Ave, rain or shine (unless the weather is extreme enough to be dangerous!)

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

What's been publicly acknowledged here represents a tiny fraction of the egregious behavior by the BPD that night. It's amazing nobody was killed or grievously injured as cops acted every bit like the fascist ICE agents we've seen this year, & absolutely created all of the danger & hazard.

bostonglobe.com

Boston agrees to $850,000 settlement in lawsuit over police force during 2020 George Floyd protests - The Boston Globe

The lawsuit accused three Boston police officers of violating the protesters’ constitutional rights by using batons and pepper spray as crowds were dispersing from the Common and nearby streets.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

Seen on Summer St. in Somerville yesterday: a special preview of this weekend’s town-wide open studios. (Even the rats are getting into the spirit of it!)

A decaying tree stump decorated with dandelions and framed artwork depicting rats, with the label “Rat Open Studios”

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

I'm psyched to grab some new music on Bandcamp Friday. And if you've not picked up a copy (digital or physical) of my album Tulpa in the last 5 years, today would be an excellent day to do so! It will certainly be appreciated... newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/tulpa

newfocusrecordings.bandcamp.com

Tulpa, by Curtis K. Hughes

11 track album

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Radius Ensemble warming up a chilly April evening!

Concert program for Radius Ensemble 4.30.26 at MIT, full program on their website.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Hello friends who promote concerts... Howabout a general rule of thumb: Use full names ALWAYS for composers listed on PR materials UNLESS that composer's name is ubiquitous enough (e.g. Ligeti, Gubaidulina, Eastman) that if you google "LASTNAME composer" you come up with the exact person you mean!

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

BoCo was a very good place to be tonight…

Lilit Hartunian and Nick Tolle of the duo Lamnth on stage with composer Bahar Royaee at Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

In other local news… It’s Beethoven’s world. We’re just living (and dying) in it.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

Sunday adventures in music (and food): Collage New Music at Longy, Johnson’s Restaurant in Groton (about the same as it was in my childhood!), and then KRONOS QUARTET at Groton Hill!! What a weekend! (Not pictured: some people who are really fun to go to concerts with and to see at concerts!)

Members of Collage New Music and guests on stage at the end of the first half of the concert

Customers outside the ice-cream window next to the main entrance of Johnson’s restaurant

The stage at Groton Hill set for the Kronos Quartet, include microphones and a large kick drum.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Paid a visit this AM to Krakow Witkin Gallery for an incredibly inspiring talk/show by Abelardo Morell whose work dazzles me, with an added bonus of Ryoanji drawings by John Cage in a small show with works by Kay Rosen.

Many overlapping curved lines in accumulating density in a drawing by John Cage

A description of the show “Ideas of Order” by Abelardo Morell at Krakow Witkin Gallery, full info available on the gallery website

Colored Paper Abstraction #1 by Abelardo Morell, which is a photograph of multicolored stacks of construction paper with irregularities, and with light shining between the stacks to create confusion about foreground and background.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Freshly out of quarantine, caught an awesome concert by New Pornographers in Boston last night. LOVE this band. No pictures of the band as cell phone use was banned inside the show (kinda refreshing) so here’s the setlist and just happy fans exiting the Wilbur Theater afterwards…

Fans strolling out the front door of the Wilbur Theater in Boston

Image of the concert setlist for April 22 on a computer screen. (Full list available at setlist.fm)

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 19/04/2026

I’ve got 2 tix for Imani Winds at the Gardner Museum (Boston) tomorrow afternoon (Sunday) but am quarantining at home due to a stomach bug having hit our household (I’m fine) - plz message me if you’re interested in the tix!!

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

This got us all up on our feet on a Friday night!

Program for Palaver Strings: Dancing Home, with the stage at Longy School of Music in the background.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

My album “Tulpa” came out 5 years ago today! The eponymous piece features an all-star professional group. Made years later, the music video is very much a DIY amateur effort (no AI involved, just some scrappy visual effects!), but includes professional art by Ola Aksan. youtu.be/wc675WZ0FUs?...

youtu.be

TULPA - music & video by Curtis K. Hughes

YouTube video by Curtis K. Hughes, Composer

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Day 3 of music from the album “Tulpa,” 5 years later: Friends have told me this video of "antechamber" for percussion 4tet seems to be a decent “gateway” for new music newbies. (I think it helps to see so clearly what the musicians are doing & how they're interacting.) youtu.be/3QMSJj6v4rA?...

youtu.be

Curtis Hughes: antechamber (Boston Percussion Group)

YouTube video by New Focus Recordings

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

In liberal Massachusetts, ongoing during the same week as Yom HaShoah, about 10 miles from Boston (in Burlington) we have something that is tantamount to a concentration camp. Weekly protests, showboating politicians, etc have not succeeded in stopping what's happening in there for even a moment.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

For Day 2 of celebrating the 5-year anniversary of my album “Tulpa” on New Focus, here’s my solo snare drum piece “flagrant” - you can listen/watch Aaron Trant play it here... youtu.be/915QuoZkPms?...

youtu.be

Curtis Hughes: flagrant (Aaron Trant, snare drum)

YouTube video by New Focus Recordings

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

This Thursday 4/16 will be the 5-year anniversary of the release of my album “Tulpa” & I'm celebrating by sharing it this week, ICYMI or if you just want to revisit some of that music! For starters, here’s my cello duet “merger” (featuring Bri Tagliaferro and Ben Baker). youtu.be/WgRymUoYNtc?...

youtu.be

Curtis Hughes: Merger

YouTube video by New Focus Recordings

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Rounding out the weekend with Rhizaria in central square Cambridge! Pure catharsis!

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Album release concert with Amelia Hollander Ames sounding great on Glass and much more…

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

Sometimes as a composer you go through your old sketches and you find abandoned ideas that have real merit & could definitely be taken up again.

Mostly empty music staff paper, but with a messy bass clef and a single note head (E flat?)

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

Valerie Coleman portrait concert!!! (Presented by Castle of Our Skins at Longy)

Performers from Castle of Our Skins with composer Valerie Coleman being applauded at the end of their concert.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

I’m always telling people to double check that a concert is actually happening before making the trip… I should really apply that advice to myself!

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Machine Girl tonight at Royale! (also opening acts Sextile & Kumo 99) I enjoyed the show a lot, but left just a bit early on the verge of sensory overload…

Closeup of Matt Stephenson on stage with Machine Girl at Royale

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

If the president’s words are to be taken at face value, our country is about to cross a line it can’t ever come back from. Many will say we’ve already crossed that line, & I don’t think they’re wrong. But with this being so out in the open, there’s not a one of us who can claim ignorance right now.

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 05/04/2026

An Index of Metals at Boston Conservatory!!!

Vimbayi Kaziboni and contraBAND at the end of their performance

Members of contraBAND after their performance.

VImbayi Kaziboni and members of contraBAND after their performance

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Curtis @curtiscomposer.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

APRIL is underway. Always a busy month for new music in Boston. Visit the calendar at: newmusiccalendar.com/boston.html What's missing? Send listings to bostonnewmusic@gmail.com, or questions (if they aren't already answered by this post here: www.curtiskhughes.com/blog/new-mus... )

A sample image of listings on the New Music Boston calendar

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