Caroline Davis' Portals | Arts + Literature Laboratory | Madison Contemporary Arts Center

Caroline Davis' Portals

Auricle New Music Series welcomes Caroline Davis' Portals on Wednesday, November 5, 2025 at 7:00pm. Advance tickets are $20 for general admsision or $15 for ALL members or students with a valid ID. Advance tickets available at Brown Paper Tickets. General admission at the door is $25 for everyone.

Caroline Davis’ Portals is an immersive sound experience, drawing upon the idea of mourning and ancestral communications as textural entities. The music has been mindfully written to offer connections to Caroline’s ancestors, biological and chosen, who have transitioned, and the elements they liked to explore through the life-cycle portal. Through this music, the ensemble engages in the connective tissue between dual and non-dual realms of existence. The ensemble at this performance will present a combination of original pieces from Portals, Volume 1: Mourning (Sunnyside, 2021) and Portals, Volume 2: Returning (Intakt, 2024).

Caroline Davis (alto saxophone), Julian Shore (piano), Chris Tordini (bass), Tim Angulo (drums)

Listen to Mr. G's interview with Caroline Davis at Green Arrow Radio.

Caroline Davis by Jacob Hand

Caroline Davis

Composer, saxophonist, and educator Caroline Davis lives in Brooklyn, New York. After making her mark on the Chicago jazz community during her 8-year stint there, she moved to New York in 2013, and has proven to be an active leader and sidewoman in the national jazz scene. She has shared musical moments with a diverse group of musicians, including Matt Wilson, Ellis Marsalis, Matt Mitchell, Randy Brecker, Bobby Broom, Greg Saunier, Ron Miles, Dennis Carroll, Erin McKeown, Allison Miller, Jenny Owen Youngs, and Billy Kaye. Aside from her own quintet, she collaborates regularly with R&B indie band, Maitri, and has been a regular member of many outfits including Whirlpool, Fatbook, Deep Fayed, Matt Mitchell’s Sprees, Billy Kaye Quintet, Paul Bedal Quintet, Orso, Chicago Jazz Orchestra, Caili O’Doherty Group, Dion Kerr Group, Elliot Ross, Charles Rumback Group, and Materials and Their Destiny. Her debut album, Live Work & Play, was featured on All About Jazz’s best releases,... Read More

Chris Tordini

Chris Tordini

Christopher Tordini is a bassist on the New York music scene, where he performs with established jazz icons as well as a diverse range of emerging musicians. He has toured and recorded with Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory and has also played and recorded in bands led by artists such as Greg Osby, Jeremy Pelt, Ari Hoening, Steve Lehman, Jim Black, Andrew D’Angelo, and the Becca Stevens Band. Tordini is also a collaborator in projects led by drummer/composer Tyshawn Sorey and trombonist/composer Michael Dessen.

This event is made possible by support from Dane Arts; Madison Arts Commission with additional funds from Wisconsin Arts Board. Additional funds also provided by Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support also provided by generous individual donations.

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