James Ilgenfritz is recognized in The New Yorker for his “characteristic magnanimity” and his “invaluable contributions to New York’s new-music community.”

 

He has performed around the US, Europe, and Asia, and has composed for Ghost Ensemble, the New Thread saxophone quartet, HUB New Music, The Momenta Quartet, Hypercube, and baritone Thomas Buckner. Recent albums include Altamirage (featuring Pauline Oliveros), and #entrainments (featuring drummer Gerry Hemingway).

 

His solo albums, Origami Cosmos and Compositions (Braxton) 2011, feature music by Annie Gosfield, Miya Masaoka, Elliott Sharp, JG Thirlwell, and Anthony Braxton. From 2009 to 2019 James directed New York’s first Suzuki Bass program at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, before leaving to pursue his PhD in Music.

 

Ilgenfritz holds a PhD from the University of California Irvine, and degrees from UC San Diego and University of Michigan. Ilgenfritz had two residencies at John Zorn’s The Stone in 2015 and 2018. His recent work reflects on his experiences with Aphasia and other complications from two surgeries to remove benign brain tumors.