Masterclass with Eric Mingus & Catherine Sikora

In conjunction with Frequencies exhibition currently on view, MOCA and Wave Archive present a sound-based Masterclass with musicians and collaborators Eric Mingus and Catherine Sikora. Mingus and Sikora offer a transformative, holistic, workshop open to musicians and non-musicians alike. Through breath, voice, improvisation, and focused practice strategies, participants explore deep listening, creative expression, and personal connection to sound. 

The workshop invites an open approach to improvisation as a way of discovering individual and collective musical languages. Eric brings his experience in vocal work, composition, and stagecraft, while Catherine offers individualized approaches to instrumental practice, including custom etudes, mindful technique, and the art of sustained, joyful study together. They support the creation of original music and help each participant develop a practice that is both grounded and expansive.

Prior to the Masterclass at MOCA, Mingus and Sikora will perform at Wave Archive, don’t miss this rare opportunity to see them play live!

April 29th at 7pm

Sliding Scale $10-20

at Wave Archive 197 Toole Ave Tucson, AZ 85701

About Eric Mingus 

Eric Mingus is a prolific vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, poet, educator, and recording artist from New York City. As the son of the legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus, Eric grew up immersed in music and has led an illustrious career as an interdisciplinary artist. He has toured, performed, or collaborated with notable artists including Percy Heath, Jimmy Heath, Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra, and composer Elliott Sharp. Steeped in education, Eric has presented many masterclasses and appeared at countless major jazz festivals around the world. His latest album “Dog Water” was released on streaming services in April 2024. 

About Catherine Sikora

Saxophonist, improviser and composer Catherine Sikora works in a broad range of settings, from highly complex composed music, to folk songs, to free improvisation. She works regularly with Eric Mingus, Enrique Haneine, Brian Chase, Han-earl Park, Stanley Zappa, Christopher Culpo and Ross Hammond, as well as actively pursuing solo performance. Sikora has toured in Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. She was a featured soloist in Eric Mingus’ radical reimagining of Tommy by the Who (Adelaide Festival 2015), and was artist in residence at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris for the fall of 2014, working on a project inspired by stories from her female ancestors. Catherine’s first solo album ‘Jersey’ was released on Relative Pitch Records in July 2016 and received high praise from international jazz critics.