About

Experimental Sound Studio (ESS) seeks proposals for multichannel sound compositions for the overhead trellis loudspeaker array at Jay Pritzker Pavilion in the heart of downtown Chicago, to be presented as part of its annual Sonic Pavilion Festival. 

Sonic Pavilion is included in this year’s America250 programs, a national series of arts programs on the occasion of the 250th birthday of the United States, and supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Proposed projects should: 

• Showcase the unique potential of multichannel sound in this highly public context, utilizing all 24 available channels
• Demonstrate consideration for the location and architecture of the system
• Content should be on the theme of community sound portraits, broadly reflecting or interpreting life in a U.S. community today or over the past 250 years. This could be everything from musical compositions to field recordings. Narrative/voice works are tricky in this multichannel space, so we are looking for more experimental, abstract interpretations of this prompt with minimal spoken word.

The 2026 Festival features 4-6 artists, with each work played multiple times throughout the installation run. Each artist/artist team receives a $2,000 artist fee.

For the 2026 iteration, ESS is accepting proposals from artists living and working in the United States and its territories. Artists will have an opportunity to travel to Chicago to work on their piece. Each artist will be expected to participate in at least one engagement activation (performance, workshop, artist talk, etc). Additional funds are available for activation partners.

Proposals are due Sunday, June 14, 2026 by midnight.

OVERVIEW

Presentation location: Jay Pritzker Pavilion Lawn in Millennium Park, Downtown Chicago

Timeline:

Sunday, June 14: Proposals Due

Monday, June 19: Notification of results

Monday, August 24: Sound works due to ESS

Sunday, August 30: Public soundcheck at Pritzker Pavilion

Monday, Sept 7: Final sound works due to ESS

Saturday, Sept 12: Full run public showcase

Sunday, Sept 13: Full run public showcase

Monday, Sept 14: Full run public showcase

December: 8-channel iteration in ESS’s gallery

Sonic Pavilion Festival is developed by Experimental Sound Studio and is presented by the City of Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). This event is supported by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Technical considerations:

• Works should be ~14 minutes long
• Works should utilize the full potential of the 24 channel system
• ESS can provide a limited amount of technical support with mastering, spatialization, and speaker distribution for the final playback for a small number of artists who demonstrate a clear vision for the work, but need technical assistance in realizing it.
• ESS will not be assisting with any production of the audio composition such as recording, mixing, editing, and arrangement.
• Selected artists will need to submit a 24 channel interleaved audio file or 24 mono files in .wav format

 

Selection process: 

Proposals are reviewed and selected by a panel comprised of past Sonic Pavilion artists, experts from the field, and ESS staff. Each proposal is judged based on clarity of concept, potential listener impact, feasibility, and sonic quality.

For a list of questions considered during the review process, click here.