orchiddBB (with Jen Sapiro, Vivek Menon, Hans Young Binter, Mario Fontes &

orchiddBB is (with Jen Sapiro, Vivek Menon, Hans Young Binter, Mario Fontes, and Orchid McRae) is a project that fuses song, improvisation, and dense ensemble figures to explore themes of queerness, trauma, and tropes in contemporary media. Their work, primarily composed by Orchid McRae, has been described as having “this experimental, almost skramz type of sound, but then the singing came through in this operatic way” (Raised by Cassettes). orchiddBB’s debut album, recorded with Oliver Ignatius at Holy Fang, will be released soon.

Orchid McRae: is a percussionist, composer, improviser, and mixed media artist based in NYC. Her deeply collaborative process often centers around structured pieces that ignore or subvert the dimension of "time" in music. Besides her own work and frequent improvisation-based collaborations, she is a member of the ensemble Dot Iso and the rock band Kissy Noises. In late 2024, she launched EXOSKELETON, a performance series dedicated to structures built outside of or in support of the body. Orchid collaborates extensively with artists outside of music including digital/textile artist Vân Anh, performance artist Rute Ventura, and experimental theater troupe Rhymes with Orange. orchiddbb.space

Jen Sapiro (she/her): is a vocalist and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. Spanning multiple genres and artistic disciplines, Jen offers a unique perspective as an improviser. Sometimes biographical, sometimes fantastical, her work centers on intensely emotional poetry that explores themes of memory, grief, family, and the complex relationships therein.

Dr. Vivek Menon: is a violinist based in New York City. He started playing violin at the age of 3, and has extensive performance experience in several styles of music. His practice synthesizes a broad range of influences into a distinctive individual sound, while prioritizing creative collaboration with an array of artists. Vivek holds a doctorate degree from Stony Brook University, a master's degree from Mannes School of Music, and a bachelor's degree from UNC Chapel Hill.

Hans Young Binter: is an American musician, pianist and composer based in New York City, working within the city's vibrant creative music scene in addition to collaborations across musical styles and artistic disciplines. Their practice is primarily improvisatory, and seeks to utilize the multitude of expressive possibilities that improvised music can contain, all while fostering a music-making environment grounded in core elements of collective creation such as conversation and ritual.

Mario Fontes: is a bassist, guitarist, music educator, songwriter and improviser who likes engaging in as many musical fields as he can make time for. He strongly believes in music’s role as a creative expression and communication tool. He aims to incorporate this into his several practices and collaborations with fellow New York City artists.

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