Sparks & Wiry Cries To Present SPARKSLIVE SONG FESTIVAL At Symphony Space
Festival features Stephanie Blythe in The Invisible Man, the world premiere of The Song Blanket, and the 10th annual songSLAM.
By: A.A. Cristi Nov. 20, 2025
Led by Co-Founders and Directors Martha Guth and Erika Switzer, Sparks & Wiry Cries will present sparksLIVE 2026 from February 19–21, 2026 at the Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space.
The annual three-day series will include new commissions, premieres, and contemporary art song programs addressing current themes. The festival will feature Stephanie Blythe and Ryan MacEvoy McCullough in The Invisible Man, the world premiere of Rebecca Hass’s The Song Blanket, and the tenth annual NYC songSLAM.
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
SparksLIVE 2026 will open with The Invisible Man, featuring Stephanie Blythe in recital with pianist and arranger Ryan MacEvoy McCullough. The program will include world premiere arrangements by McCullough celebrating the music of composer Harry Warren, whose work spans more than six decades beginning in 1918. Selected songs will highlight Warren’s collaborations with lyricists including Al Dubin, Mack Gordon, and Johnny Mercer.
THE SONG BLANKET
Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
The following evening will feature the world premiere of The Song Blanket, commissioned by Sparks & Wiry Cries. Created and performed by Georgian Bay Métis artist Rebecca Hass (Nitaawe Giizhigok – Singing Sky Woman), the work is rooted in teachings and stories handed down through her grandmother’s quilting traditions. Hass will be joined by vocalists Lucy Shelton, Kamala Sankaram, Kate Morton, and pianist Erika Switzer.
TENTH ANNUAL NYC songSLAM
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
The festival will conclude with the 10th anniversary edition of songSLAM, Sparks & Wiry Cries’s competitive art song event. Fifteen composer–singer–pianist teams will premiere new works for an audience vote, followed by a performance by the 2025 songSLAM Commission Prizewinner, Joshua Bornfield. Bornfield’s new work, Trial, will premiere in collaboration with poet Tom Haviv, soprano Marie Herrington, and pianist Timothy Krippner.
The songSLAM format is inspired by traditional poetry slams and storytelling events and has expanded globally since its 2015 NYC premiere. The event now partners with organizations in ten cities across four countries, including Toronto, Vancouver, London, Ljubljana, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Waco. The 2026 event will again incorporate both live and recorded elements.
TICKETING
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
Program: Music of Harry Warren
Artists:
Stephanie Blythe, vocalist
Ryan MacEvoy McCullough, pianist
Link: https://www.sparksandwirycries.org/sparkslive-2026
THE SONG BLANKET
Friday, February 20, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
Program:
Rebecca Hass – The Song Blanket (2025) World Premiere
Ian Cusson – What Binds Us
Artists:
Rebecca Hass, vocalist and storyteller
Lucy Shelton, vocalist
Kamala Sankaram, vocalist
Kate Morton, vocalist
Erika Switzer, pianist
Link: https://www.sparksandwirycries.org/sparkslive-2026
TENTH ANNUAL NYC songSLAM
Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
Program:
songSLAM compositions
Joshua Bornfield – Trial (2025) World Premiere
Artists:
Tom Haviv, poet
Marie Herrington, soprano
Timothy Krippner, pianist
Teams TBA
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