Elysium Furnace Works

05/22/2026

"Brandon Ross is a one-man atmosphere factory, availing himself of all the sounds—cries, squeaks, cracks, fuzz, whispers, organ-like echoes—that an electric guitar, in the hands of a master, can produce."

— Adam Shatz, Paris Review

"Brandon Ross is the epitome of the postmodern guitar hero, a fretboard virtuoso who adheres to no particular sound or genre, moving freely from the feedback-laden assault of the adventurous jazz-rock trio Harriet Tubman and the electronics-heavy jumble of Phantom Station to the delicate beauty of the acoustic chamber duo For Living Lovers (in which he also plays banjo). Since the mid-1970s, the longtime Brooklynite has amassed an extraordinarily diverse catalog as a bandleader, cooperative group member and sideman to a plethora of avant-garde stars, among them Smith, Henry Threadgill, Oliver Lake, Archie Shepp, Leroy Jenkins and Butch Morris. Like those players, Ross likes to think outside the box."

— Brad Cohen, JazzTimes

"Stomu Takeishi has played acoustic and electric fretless bass in a variety of jazz settings throughout the '90s and 2000s. A member of For Living Lovers (with Brandon Ross), Myra Melford's Crush Trio (with drummer Kenny Wollesen), and Erik Friedlander's Topaz (with brother Satoshi Takeishi on percussion), Stomu Takeishi has also played in trumpeter Cuong Vu's group Vu-Tet, and in the North Indian-influenced Alankar. Takeishi performs on Satoko Fujii's album, South Wind, and has played with such musicians as Henry Threadgill, Don Cherry, Randy Brecker, and Wynton Marsalis. Takeishi has toured internationally with these various groups, from N.Y.C. to Finland's Tampere Festival."

— Allmusic.com

"For Living Lovers is a duo project from guitarist Brandon Ross (of Harriet Tubman, multiple Henry Threadgill projects) and bassist Stomu Takeishi. They’ve been playing together for close to 30 years, since Ross invited Takeishi to audition (successfully) for Threadgill’s Make A Move band. Ross plays acoustic guitar, soprano guitar, and banjo, and Takeishi plays acoustic bass guitar. The music is beautifully recorded, miked closely enough that you can hear them breathe, and shift in their seats...just beautiful music, so focused it’ll make you hold your breath."

— Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulance

Elysium Furnace Works' historic 2026 season continues in June with For Living Lovers, a celebrated, multi-decade, unplugged project featuring acoustic guitarist/banjoist/vocalist Brandon Ross and acoustic fretless bass guitarist Stomu Takeishi, building on their past work in the ensembles of Henry Threadgill to craft an innovative, distinctively chamber-like approach to modern string music.

For Living Lovers will perform at the gorgeous, 19th c. VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center (where Ross performed with the extremely electric trio H A R R I E T T U B M A N: t h e b a n d for an unforgettable EFW performance in 2024), located at 12 Vassar St. in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday, June 27 at 8 PM. Advance tickets are on sale at https://4living.eventbrite.com until midnight Friday 6/26.

05/17/2026

Holy cats!!! That's the consensus after last night's magnificent EFW Presents: gabby fluke-mogul / Charles Burnham performance at our beloved VBI Theatre, the jewel in the crown that is Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center tucked away there in downtown Poughkeepsie. One of our most adventurous evenings of instant composition was also one of our quietest, even while Gabby fed back their violin at the quietest possible volume. There were also regular instances of foot-stompingly fearless, hard-bowed escapades that suggested a ancient-to-the-future hootenanny happening in a better world than the one we currently find ourselves in. But that world is so much the better for these singular virtuosi taking us on a multi-directional journey — to paraphrase Richard Pryor, and us, without our luggage! Lots of laughs and positive vibes throughout their visit to the Queen City of the Hudson, as well. Massive thanks and praise to these two phenomenal artists; to CHAC, now and forever, for their continuous and deeply appreciated support of EFW; to the great Zeus Brewing Co for being such spectacular dinner hosts for our artists one more time; and to our treasured friends and supporters, some crossing state lines, who came out to hear these matchless improvisers throw down with the avant hoedown.

Extraordinary string duos continue into June when For Living Lovers — aka Brandon Ross & Stomu Takeishi — came to bring their nonpareil, unplugged, multi-decade project to the VBI on Saturday, June 27 at 8 PM. Advance tickets are on sale now at https://4living.eventbrite.com/ .

05/16/2026

Tonight! Advance ticket sales ended at midnight but we'll have plenty of tickets available at the door this evening. Don't miss Creative Music Studio Executive Director Gabby Fluke-Mogul in an incendiary duo with Downtown veteran Charles Burnham, burnin' 'em up performing music for virtuoso violins. Join us at the exquisite 19th c. VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, 12 Vassar Street, tucked away there off Main St. in downtown Poughkeepsie at 8 PM.

See you there!

05/09/2026

One week from tonight! Don’t miss the blazing violins of Gabby Fluke-Mogul and Charles Burnham at the glorious 19th c. VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center on Saturday, May 16 at 8 PM. Advance tickets are on sale until midnight 5/15 at https://gfmcb.eventbrite.com

See you there!

04/25/2026

"From the initial light spiccato bow strokes, you could tell that Gabby Fluke-Mogul ventures far afield from most violinists...Some of the violinist’s bow strokes, using minimal arm movement, produced scorching splashes that left echo-filled chills in their wake, while longer bow pulls created walls of static-laden feedback. At times she would flip the violin over on her lap to rub the back surface and tap the wood for percussive effects. At other moments, she held her instrument like a small guitar – plucking the strings and evoking a bluesy mood – or strummed her fingers rapidly across the strings, as you might do with a mandolin...Her visceral aesthetic will be challenging for some, but for those eager to explore the outer reaches of the violin, she is just the ticket."
— Bruce Hodges, The Strad

"The passion and fire of Charles Burnham’s violin has graced the work of many: Cassandra Wilson, James “Blood” Ulmer, Steven Bernstein, Susie Ibarra, Peter Apfelbaum, Henry Threadgill, String Trio of New York, Ted Daniel, Medeski, Martin & Wood, and many, many others. But armed with a whole new book of originals and a stellar new band, Burnham’s step into the spotlight has long been coming. Wordly and other-worldly sounds can be heard from Burnham’s musical and personal journeys as his soulful voice and violin lead you down some open roads and dark alleys, and bring you to some spots you may not have known even exist."
— All About Jazz

For our third concert as part of our already historic 2026 season, Elysium Furnace Works presents another unique string duo when we present this incendiary appearance by two contemporary violin virtuosi: educator and Creative Music Studio Executive Director gabby fluke-mogul (Pauline Oliveros, William Parker, Ava Mendoza) joining forces with veteran Downtown musician Charles Burnham (James "Blood" Ulmer, John Zorn, Medeski Martin & Wood).

gabby fluke-mogul and Charles Burnham will perform at the gorgeous, 19th c. VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center, located at 12 Vassar St. in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday, May 16 at 8 PM. Advance tickets are on sale at https://gfmcb.eventbrite.com until midnight Friday 5/15.

Educator / Creative Music Studio executive director fluke-mogul joins forces with veteran Downtown musician Burnham for virtuoso violin

04/22/2026

EFW is proud to announce two additional concerts for our already historic 2026 season:

September 19: Judi Silvano's Garden Winds — the gifted vocalist and composer Silvano leads a new, thoroughly unique trio featuring Haruna Fukazawa on flutes and Claire de Brunner on bassoon, celebrating their upcoming first recording of their a chamber sensibility deeply informed by poetry and improvisation. Advance tickets are on sale now at https://judi.eventbrite.com.

November 17: Mayan Space Station — for a rare Tuesday evening EFW concert, we are thrilled to present the first electric guitar trio led by the legendary bassist, composer, bandleader and creative music titan William Parker, joined in MSS by guitarist Ava Mendoza and drummer Kevin Murray. Advance tickets are on sale at https://mayanss.eventbrite.com.

Don't miss our next concert on May 16 when we present Creative Music Studio Executive Director Gabby Fluke-Mogul in a duo with violinist Charles Burnham at the glorious 19th c. VBI Theatre of Cunneen-Hackett Arts Center in beautiful downtown Poughkeepsie. Advance tickets are on sale until midnight 5/15 at https://gfmcb.eventbrite.com/ .