irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024
What they reported doing
- #1 primary $168Klive performances of concert music, 5 concerts, 780 community audience members benefited
- #2 $15Kcommissioning of new works, 2 pieces, 2 composers benefited, 500+ community audience members benefitted
named programs · 6 · from sources
What they call their work
ADDDDDDDDD
thingNY's first opera, released with a comic-book libretto, described as an hour-long experimental work blending music and theater.
Jeff Young and Paul Pinto, Patriots, Run for Office on a Platform of Swift and Righteous Immigration Reform, Lots of Jobs, and a Healthy Environment
30-minute politically charged theatrical opera that toured nationally, released as an album with campaign buttons.
Passover
Evening-length experimental music theater piece by Rick Burkhardt, performed by thingNY, based on the Passover seder structure and exploring themes of exodus and escape.
SubtracTTTTTTTTT
Online performance created for real-time streaming during social distancing in 2020.
This Takes Place Close By
Original opera by thingNY exploring isolation and aftermath of a natural disaster, combining singing, acting, electronics, and extended vocal techniques.
Time: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts
Collaborative opera with Panoply Performance Lab, accompanied by a 250-page hardcover book.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
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Commissioning New Musical Works 1 activity
- Commissions and premieres new works of experimental concert art musicCommissions and develops new pieces of concert art music from composers, including full-length operas and experimental compositions, and presents their premieres. In one year, commissioned 2 new pieces that reached over 500 community audience members.
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Original Music-Theater and Opera Production 1 activity
- Develops and performs original experimental operas and music-theater worksCreates, develops, and performs original experimental operas and music-theater works, often in collaboration with other ensembles or artists. Notable productions include "ADDDDDDDD," "Sickbed," "Time," "This Takes Place Close By," and "Thomas Paine in Violence," with performances ranging from 60 to 90 minutes and incorporating video, word-play, and interdisciplinary storytelling.
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Experimental Circus and Immersive Theater Production 1 activity
- Hosts virtual and interactive performance eventsCreates and presents performances for real-time online audiences, including the 2020 works "subtracTTTTTTTTT" and "A Series of Landscapes," and hosts brief afternoon Zoom sessions exploring motivation through dialogue, video, and song.
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Classical and Chamber Music Performances 1 activity
- Presents live concerts and performances of experimental music and music theaterOrganizes and presents live concerts and performances of experimental and improvisational concert art music, including multi-scene operas, chamber works, and durational improvisational performances. In one year, presented 5 concerts reaching 780 audience members, and conducted multi-state tours featuring appearances at experimental music festivals such as Under the Radar Omaha and NMASS.
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Nonprofit Music Recording and Distribution 1 activity
- Produces and releases experimental music albums and recordingsProduces and releases full-length albums and recordings of experimental music, including studio and spatially recorded versions of performances. Has released multiple albums, including ADDDDDDDDD (2010), minis/Trajectories (2016), Patriots, Run for Office... (2018), and Skylighght (2024), with some recordings capturing performances in acoustically distinct environments such as a stone catacomb and a studio live room.
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Uncategorized 1 activity
- Creates and performs works using innovative vocal-saxophone resonance techniquesDevelops and performs music using a unique collaborative compositional method where vocalists sing into the bell of the saxophone, creating interdependent vocal-saxophone resonance that produces distinctive tonalities and multiphonics specific to the performers.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$294K
Contributions & grants$151K51%
Program service revenue$143K49%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$267K
Program expenses100%
Admin / overhead0%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$187K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$55K
Cash$55K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$55K
Liquid reserves2.5 mo
2 years on record · 2023–2024 · YoY revenue +83.2%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 8
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Whyte | Podcast Director | 25 | $70K |
| Gelsey Bell | Core Musician | 8 | $23K |
| Paul Pinto | Core Musician | 5 | $9K |
| Andrew Livingston | Core Musician | 4 | $6K |
| Erin Rogers | Core Musician, Grant Writer | 4 | $5K |
| Dave Ruder | Core Musician | 3 | $4K |
| Alejandro Acierto | Core Musician | 1 | $310 |
| Isabel Castellvi | Core Musician | 1 | $310 |
relationships · 38
Who they work with
- Aaron Copland Fund Funder — Provided funding support for the project.
- Aaron Copland Fund for Music Funder — Funded the recording of "Passover."
- Andrew Livingston Partner — Collaborative performer and composer in thingNY's productions
- COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS Partner — THINGNY encourages audience members to donate to Coalition for the Homeless as part of its outreach during performances.
- Chamber Music America Funder — Provided funding through the Classical Commissioning Program, supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Chamber Music America Endowment Fund, enabling the creation of "Passover."
- DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS Partner — THINGNY encourages audience members to donate to Doctors Without Borders as part of its outreach during performances.
- Erin Rogers Partner — Collaborative performer and composer in thingNY's productions
- Face The Music Partner — Collaborative performance partner on the premiere of "In Space".
- Face the Music Partner — Collaborated on a spatialized sound performance at the Queens Museum in 2014
- George Lewis Partner — Performed George Lewis's composition _Artificial Life 2007/2017_.
- Gold Bolus Recordings Partner — Released thingNY albums "minis/Trajectories" (2016) and "Patriots, Run for Office..." (2018).
- Green-Wood Cemetery Partner — Provided access to the stone catacombs for recording sessions.
- HERE Arts Center Partner — Presented "A Series of Landscapes" as part of its [#stillhere] series.
- HERE Arts Center Partner — Presented the premiere run of Thomas Paine in Violence in 2017 in association with HERE Arts Center
- Helado Negro Partner — Collaborated on the string-conducted project Brainfinger presented at Merkin Hall in 2015
- Helado Negro Partner — Collaborative performance partner on the premiere of "Brainfinger".
- Isabel Castellvi Partner — Collaborative performer and composer in thingNY's productions
- Issue Project Room Partner — Supported the project through organizational affiliation or programming.
- Jeffrey Young Partner — Collaborative performer and composer in thingNY's productions
- NMASS Partner — Performed at the New Media Art and Sound Summit (NMASS) in Austin, Texas.
- New York Foundation for the Arts Funder — Provided funding support for the project.
- New York State Council on the Arts Government — Supported the project through public arts funding.
- Oktaven Audio Partner — Hosted recording sessions in its studio live room.
- Orange Theatre Partner — Collaborated on a performance described as inscrutable, strange, and beautiful, with hopes for continued collaboration.
- Panoply Partner — Collaborated on the production of Time, an experimental work exploring the use of time through video, music, and word-play.
- Panoply Performance Laboratory Partner — Collaborated to create Time: A Complete Explanation in Three Parts in 2011
- Panoply Performance Laboratory Partner — Collaborative performance partner on the premiere of "TIME".
- Paul Pinto Partner — Collaborative performer and composer in thingNY's productions
- Rick Burkhardt Partner — Collaborated with thingNY as composer-writer on the piece "Passover," which the ensemble performed and recorded.
- Spaceworks LIC Partner — Helped launch Spaceworks LIC in 2013 with an intimate performance through the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City
+ 8 more
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Acoustic Environment as Co-Creative Elementmethodology: acoustic-environment-as-performerBy treating the acoustic resonance of physical space as an active participant, we shape performances and recordings in dialogue with the environment, because spatial resonance influences emotional and sensory impact, enhancing the immersive quality of experimental music.
- Artistic Engagement for Psychological Resiliencemethodology: multidisciplinary_artistic_engagementBy combining dialogue, video, and music in multidisciplinary formats, we support psychological resilience during difficult times, because artistic and emotional engagement can foster meaning and motivation in ways that transcend traditional therapeutic or didactic approaches.
- Avant-Garde Performance to Reflect Social Realitymethodology: avant-garde performanceBy using avant-garde methods to focus on contemporary lived experience, we create performances that reflect current social realities more authentically than traditional forms, because experimental aesthetics can capture the complexity and dissonance of modern life.
- Interdisciplinary Fusion as Artistic Innovationmethodology: interdisciplinary_performanceBy fusing electronic and acoustic music with opera, theater, text, and installation, we create experimental performances that expand the boundaries of contemporary music and deepen audience engagement, because interdisciplinary formats enable novel artistic expressions that challenge traditional concert conventions.
- Structured Improvisation to Shape Performancemethodology: structured improvisationBy using structured improvisation, we allow acoustic environments and real-time performer interaction to co-create the form of a piece, because this approach integrates spontaneity with compositional rigor, producing performances that are responsive to context and space.