epithets & call for spores

with guest artist Kate Soper
​saturday, nov. 14th, 2026, 8:30pm
constellation chicago
3111 n western ave.
$20/$15 for students
Mycelium New Music joins forces with composer-vocalist Kate Soper to premiere a new version of her piece Epithets for soprano and ensemble, which sets a catalog of epithets from the Odyssey, alongside her duo So Dawn Chromatically Descends. The concert also features the selected pieces from our 2026 call for spores, which received over 150 submissions. Presented as this year’s Rhizome Project, in which Mycelium gives a second performance of recent works by rising star emerging composer that have only been played once, all three composers -  Jorge Amado, Celka Ojakangas, and Alex Taylor - will travel to Chicago for a collaborative workshop, recording, and performance of their winning pieces. 
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program 
Kate Soper - Epithets for soprano and sextet (premiere of new version)
Kate Soper - So Dawn Chromatically Descends to Day for soprano and piano
Jorge Amado - Identidades for sextet (premiere of new version)
Celka Ojakangas - Toons for sextet (premiere of new version)
​Alex Taylor - A Handful of False Starts and Dead Ends for sextet (premiere of new version)

guest artist
Described by The New Yorker as "one of the great originals of her generation," composer, performer, and writer Kate Soper has been creating unique and uncategorizable musico-theatrical spectacles for over a decade. Her critically-acclaimed large-scale works include the monodramas Voices from the Killing Jar, IPSA DIXIT, and Orpheus Orchestra Opus Onus and the operas Here Be Sirens, The Romance of the Rose, and The Hunt. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and Rome Prize fellow, she has been commissioned by Miller Theatre, Alarm Will Sound, and the New York Philharmonic. Praised by The New York Times for her "lithe voice and riveting presence,” she performs frequently in her own works and in the works of others. Kate is co-director and vocalist for the Wet Ink Ensemble, a collective of composers, performers, and improvisors dedicated to seeking out adventurous music across aesthetic boundaries.

composers

Originally from southwest Missouri, Los Angeles-based composer Celka Ojakangas gleans her musical ideas from her former collaborative work as a violist, always with the intention of bringing creativity and play to the forefront of the listener’s and performer’s experiences. Celka's compositions have been premiered and commissioned by groups and artists such as the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Albany Symphony's Dogs of Desire, Hocket, and Alarm Will Sound. Recent distinctions include the Goddard Leiberson Fellowship and the Aspen Music Festival’s Druckman Prize. A graduate of the University of Southern California, Celka teaches at Occidental College and Glendale Community College.
Alex Taylor is a US-based New Zealand composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work explores memory, text, myth, genre, and queerness. Described as containing “unfailing invention” (New Zealand Herald) and “evoking Baroque forms within a completely contemporary soundworld” (Middle C), Alex’s music has been commissioned by artists including Susan Narucki (US), Orchestra Wellington (NZ), and Ensemble Proton Bern (CH). He completed his Ph.D. in Composition at the University of California San Diego, and currently teaches Theory and Composition at Illinois State University.
Jorge Amado graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Arts of Cuba (2020) with degrees in violin and composition, and earned a Master’s degree with distinction in Composition from DePaul University in Chicago (2024). His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Merkin Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, among others. His works have been commissioned by Catalyst Quartet, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Desiree Ruhstrat, Jon Kimura Parker, among others. He is a Teaching Artist and Assistant to the Artistic Director of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic and a Violin Faculty at Merit School of Music.