Ars Nova Workshop founder and curator Mark Christman has a lot to celebrate this month.
When Christman founded Ars Nova Workshop, his goal was to fill a gap in Philadelphia’s creative music scene, centering it around the boundary-pushing spirit of free jazz. The series began with a year-long run of ANW Wednesdays at Plays and Players Theatre, featuring artists like Marshall Allen, Chris Speed, Odean Pope, William Parker, and the Vandermark 5 — many of whom have remained core collaborators in Christman’s ever-evolving events across venues such as Christ Church Neighborhood House, FringeArts, and the Philadelphia Art Alliance. While Ars Nova now has a more permanent home at the Solar Myth on Broad Street, Christman and his community of musicians — veterans and newcomers alike — continue to embody a spirit that defies genre, tradition, and sonic limitation.
In particular, May’s celebration of Ars Nova Workshop’s 25th anniversary offers a vibrant mix of longtime collaborators honoring both the organization’s legacy and their own — including 101-year-old icon Marshall Allen on May 23 — alongside fresh voices making their Solar Myth debut, such as Sharada Shashidhar (May 14) and Macie Stewart, celebrating the release of her new album on May 8.
Everything is the same, and nothing is the same, at Christman’s Ars Nova Worskhop.
“Getting to 25 years as an arts organization in Philadelphia—especially one centered on creative music—is humbling and hard-won,” states Christman. “We’ve done it in a city where arts institutions are struggling, and where cultural memory is too often treated as disposable. And yet, Philadelphia is one of the most important cities in the history of this music. It’s the city of Coltrane, of Sun Ra, of Lee Morgan and Shirley Scott—of innovation that’s as spiritual as it is sonic. That legacy deserves care, investment, and imagination.
“Ars Nova has survived not because it’s been easy, but because we’ve insisted on working in a way that honors that lineage while creating new paths forward,” Christman continues. “We’re here because we believe that creative music and improvisation is essential—not just artistically, but civically. And we’ve stayed committed to that belief, even when the odds were against us.”
Christman notes how this month’s lineup embodies the principles of improvisation that have always defined Ars Nova — the freedom to create, the courage to confront uncertainty, and the commitment to collective resilience.
“From the virtuosity of figures like Roscoe Mitchell and Marshall Allen to the innovation of rising artists like Isaiah Collier and James Brandon Lewis, we’re continuing a tradition that connects creativity with critical thought,” he says. “Jazz, for us, is not just music—it’s a tool for imagining alternative futures, addressing trauma, and building solidarity. By embracing dissonance, unresolved tension, and the necessary humility of improvisation, we encourage new forms and processes that challenge the status quo. These values—hospitality, reciprocity, complementarity—are the foundation of the next 25 years: a commitment to music that is not just heard, but felt, and a space for community to grow and transform.”
Ars Nova Workshop is also breaking new ground with its in-house record label, which is releasing the debut album from Marshall Allen’s ever-evolving ensemble, Ghost Horizons. ‘Live in Philadelphia’ — recorded over multiple performances at Solar Myth — is being released in collaboration with Otherly Love Records.
“The Ars Nova label is our way of putting a stake in the ground—documenting the spirit of the scene we’ve nurtured, and making it permanent,” says Christman. “It’s one thing to present a transcendent performance; it’s another to give that moment a lasting home. The upcoming release with Marshall Allen’s Ghost Horizons feels especially powerful. Here’s a centenarian bandleader—still innovating, still searching—recorded with handpicked groups that span generations and genres. It’s not just an album, it’s a transmission. And for us, it marks a turning point: the label isn’t just preserving the legacy, it’s extending it.”
Nels Cline, a veteran of solo ANW events and a member of Wilco told Metro that Christman has the spiritual wherewithal to make this all happen, and happen repeatedly: “Mark is indefatigable with a dedication verging on the obsessive. … The man’s passion for not just forward-leaning improvised music but music and culture in general, along with the city of Philadelphia itself, is pretty phenomenal.”
