Friday, October 2, 2026 / Eugene
Five experimental concerts spread across Eugene this weekend
The Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble's fifth annual festival moves from Kesey Square to a campus hall, a pizza room and Radiant Community Arts.
The Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble is treating the city like one large, mildly unruly concert hall. Its fifth annual New Music Festival starts at 6 p.m. Friday in Kesey Square, then moves through four Saturday and Sunday sets at Berwick Concert Hall, Whirled Pies and Radiant Community Arts.
The program covers acoustic, electronic, improvised and mixed-media work, including text and graphic scores. The ensemble says all five performances are free and open to the public. Friday's guest-artist set features Tender Cruncher, Laura Sarah Haynes, Jessie Lause, Neda Nadim and Azalea Twining; the later concerts turn to selected works performed with IMPULSE! New Music Ensemble.
Field notes
What changed: The fifth annual New Music Festival begins Friday and expands to five concerts across four Eugene venues through Sunday.
Why it matters: A small local ensemble is making experimental composition unusually easy to sample: short travel between venues, no admission charge and several different forms of music.
Who may be affected: Curious listeners, local musicians, downtown visitors and people looking for free weekend performances.