$12 adv / $17 at the door (advance sales ONLINE ONLY until 3pm day of show, then available at the door). Doors at 6:30pm, showtime 7:30pm. ALL AGES! General Admission ticket includes a combination of limited seating and standing room. Seating is first come first serve. Tickets are nonrefundable.

Christopher Hoffman

Christopher Hoffman is a cellist, composer, and improviser whose work moves seamlessly between jazz, contemporary classical, and experimental music. Performing on acoustic and electric 5‑string cello, he has developed a distinctive musical language that expands the instrument’s range through extended techniques, live processing, and a tactile, physical approach to sound.

Based in New York, Hoffman is a longtime member of Henry Threadgill’s Zooid, the ensemble behind the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Music for In for a Penny, In for a Pound, and performs with Grammy‑nominated groups including the Anat Cohen Tentet and James Brandon Lewis’s Red Lily Quintet. He has collaborated with many artists, including Martin Scorsese and Yoko Ono, and appears on Juno- and Grammy-nominated albums.

In addition to his musical work, Hoffman is a filmmaker and producer, having directed several music videos and short films, including Your Dog Likes Me More Than You and Salamander, which have screened widely and are available on major platforms.

His solo work focuses on original compositions that balance structure and spontaneity, creating immersive, narrative‑driven performances. His latest release, REX, presents this approach in a distilled, deeply expressive form that blurs the line between composition and improvisation.

Peter J Thomas

Cellist Peter J Thomas has been a member of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra since 2008 and has captivated audiences worldwide as a multi-genre soloist, chamber musician, and educator. With a passion for musical innovation through looping and effects, he seamlessly blends classical and contemporary styles, ensuring a truly unforgettable performance.

Peter performs frequently throughout Wisconsin and Illinois as a one-man band on the electric cello (not guitar) and plays his own arrangements of classical, original, pop, rock, and metal songs through looping, drums and effects pedals, all while singing vocals.

Thomas is a resident artist with Wisconsin Public Radio (a branch of NPR) and has performed on their “Pint Sized Music Series” for over two years. He has also curated his own monthly music series at The Sugar Maple in Bayview, WI as well as a chamber music series at Gibraltar MKE. Thomas also the Co-Founder of MusiConnect, a community building initiative that brought people safely together during the pandemic by performing in different neighborhoods across Wisconsin over three years by supporting local musicians. MusiConnect was nominated Best Outdoor Festival and Peter won Best Acoustic Musician in the 2021 “Best of Milwaukee” contest by the Shepherd Express. He has been nominated for this award over a dozen times and was also the WAMI String Player of the year in 2012 and 2015.

Peter performs regularly in Rockford at SALT, Abreo, The Union, Pig Minds Brewing Co., the Music Academy of Rockford, and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra. In Milwaukee he is a resident artist at The Milwaukee Art Museum, The Sugar Maple, Ope! Brewing Co., Lion’s Tail Brewing Co., Black Husky Brewing Co., Indeed Brewing Co., Draft and Vessel, The Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Kegel’s Inn, O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub, Anodyne Roasting Company., Gibraltar MKE, and countless others. His forte is audience retention.

In Milwaukee, Thomas has appeared at outdoor music festivals such as Summerfest, Summer Soulstice, Bastille Days, Brady Street Days, Tosa Tonight, Lakefront Festival of the Arts, Chill on the Hill, Washington Park Bandshell, the Milwaukee County Parks Beer Gardens, and the list goes on. He has appeared at national music festivals South By Southwest (TX), Aspen (CO), Sun Valley (ID), Breckenridge (CO), Spoleto (SC), and Kent-Blossom (OH). His performances have taken him to Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, India, China, and Japan.

Peter has performed and toured with national acts such as Peter Gabriel, The Eagles, Disturbed, Sarah McLachlan, Transiberian Orchestra, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Ben Folds, Stewart Copeland from The Police, the Indigo Girls, and the Violent Femmes.

As a soloist, he has collaborated with artists like Brian VanderArk of the Verve Pipe, Island Styles of Candlebox, Chris Isaak, David Cook (American Idol 7 winner), Lauren Jelencovich, Mike Mangione, Sunset Strip, The Delta Routine, The Midnight Purchase, Evan Christian, Gabriel Sanchez, Amanda Huff, Steve Vorass, and Sista Strings (of Brandi Carlisle fame).

Peter was the electric cellist and manager of Milwaukee based indie rock band, I’m Not A Pilot (2009-2015) and a member of the Keith Pulvermacher Band (2013-2018) before going on tour as a soloist.