Emily Rach Beisel

Emily Rach Beisel (they/them) is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, educator, curator, and woodwind specialist whose work is celebrated for its visceral intensity and innovative blend of techniques. Emily’s debut solo album, Particle of Organs (2023) released on the Amalgam label, has been described as “heavy stuff, sounds retrieved from the deeper places – the underworlds, the lightless subterranean…a raw, abrasive, oppressive, and thrilling journey” (A Jazz Noise). The album centers on the bass clarinet while incorporating voice, electronics, and extended techniques, creating a complex and nuanced soundscape where the origins of sounds are often obscured. This work reflects Emily’s commitment to embracing ambiguity, avoiding easy categorization, and drawing inspiration from diverse sources.

Emily is an active participant in the improvised and experimental music communities both in Chicago and beyond. They perform regularly in Chicago and have toured throughout the U.S. and Canada. Recent performances include Baltimore’s High Zero Festival, Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, Southern Illinois University’s Outside the Box festival, Iowa City’s Feed Me Weird Things, Chicago’s Ear Taxi Festival, as well as tours with drummer Bill Harris through the East Coast (2023) and Midwest (2024).

As a curator, Emily is deeply committed to increasing the visibility and involvement of femme, trans, and nonbinary artists within the creative performance community. They founded the Pleiades Series at Elastic Arts, which presents monthly performances and community-based free improvisation sessions. In 2024, they organized and presented the inaugural PleiadesFest, a three-day festival that featured evening performances and improvisation workshops. This festival brought together a diverse array of improvisers, performance artists, dancers, and bands from Chicago’s vibrant creative music scenes, including DIY, punk, noise, singer-songwriter, and electronic dance music communities. PleiadesFest was supported by New Music USA and reflects a significant milestone in fostering inclusive and vibrant artistic exchange.

In addition to their work as a performer and curator, Emily is a member of the contemporary ensemble Fonema Consort with whom they have toured international. Recent performances took place in Brazil, Mexico, Minneapolis, and New York, with premiers of  works by prominent living composers such as James Dillon, Richard Barrett, and Julio Estrada. Emily is also active as a woodwind doubler, working in theaters across the Chicago area, including Broadway in Chicago, Marriott, Paramount, Writers Theatre and Chicago's feminist Firebrand Theater Company. As an educator, Emily maintains a private studio and holds a faculty position at Harold Washington College, where they share their passion for music with aspiring musicians of all ages and backgrounds. They hold a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and are a member of the American Federation of Musicians Local 10-208.