Rock City Falls Trio is thrilled to collaborate with multidisciplinary artist Carlin Ma on a new original music and video performance workshop developed for the festival. Through community participation, the project will explore the environmental crisis from both regional and global perspectives, inviting participants to share local experiences and engage in conversations about place, ecology, and collective responsibility. Together, these discussions will help shape the evolving performance.
Rock City Falls Trio
The Rock City Falls Trio (Alex Chang, harp; Jason Handron, double bass; and Adam Forman, drums) is a cross-genre improvisation-based music ensemble based in the Capital Region. Their work moves fluidly between composed structures and open improvisation, emphasizing collaborative listening, textural exploration, and cross-genre expression.
The trio often works with interdisciplinary collaborators including for their performances of EQUILIBRIUM. A collaborative improv with artist Christian A. Mendoza (2023) and WATER. A collaborative improv with artist Michael Miyahira aka Mike Ming (2024) and Sonic Explorations in Troy, an incubator project for a residency at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall with artist and musician Manuel J Perez III and performed at the 2025 Improv Spaces Music Festival.
Their album SIGNAL (release, Adhyâropa Records, August 2026) features their unique contemporary hybrid sound combining rhythms and elements from the musician’s varied interests and backgrounds, from classical to indie to experimental improvisation.
(Photo by Jessica Tomaselli)
Carlin Ma, Multidisciplinary Artist
Carlin Ma creates multimedia experiences that foster deeper engagement with one’s self, community, and nature. Trained as a professional photographer and musician, she advocates for works using different mediums to create space for reflection. Since 2016, she has served as Artistic Director of the Hawaii International Music Festival, producing interdisciplinary works highlighting connections with local community and nature.
In Spring 2026, Carlin is the Artist in Residence at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, working with the park and rangers to produce a film about soundscapes and sustainability. In 2023/24, Carlin was commissioned by Emerald City Music and Artistic Director Kristin Lee to create a film exploring mothers’ impact on the human journey of hope and healing. This evening-length commission wove together music reflecting the multi-faceted theme. Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum commissioned her to co-direct video installations exploring the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Michelle V. Agins, premiering September 2024. Carlin co-directed a 30-minute documentary and video segments pairing with the gallery exhibition.
In Seattle Symphony’s inaugural Octave 9 season, Carlin was commissioned to create concert-length visuals as counterpoint to musical selections chosen by Composer-In-Residence Derek Bermel. Other media highlights include a 10-part educational series “How Pianos Work” with Yamaha concert technician John Slavick and pianist Frederic Chiu; a San Francisco Conservatory performance pairing visuals with music; and a planetarium video with music by Danny Clay for Ebb and Flow Arts premiering in the Hokulani Imaginarium.
Carlin studied piano performance with Menahem Pressler at Indiana University and received a Master of Music with Yoshi Nagai at San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She actively photographs for institutions from Seattle Symphony to Aspen Music Festival. Her works have appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Seattle Times.
(Photo by Elle Logan)
Work-in-Progress Performance
+ Community Discussion
on the Environmental Crisis
Time: 5:45-6:30pm
Location: Music Hub Stage
Following the performance, audience members are invited to participate in a community conversation exploring regional and global environmental challenges. Together with the artists, participants will share local experiences, exchange ideas, and contribute to the ongoing development of this new interdisciplinary work.
IMPROV SPACES 