High Zero, The Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston Street. September 24 to 27, times vary.
Now in its 28th year, High Zero brings together musicians who have never played together before to improvise on a wide variety of instruments, ranging this year from mandolin to harpsichord to mouth harp, with lots of vocals, horns, electronics, and invented instruments thrown in. The festival is both intensely international and deeply local, bringing in musicians from Berlin, Minneapolis, Glasgow, L.A., Atlanta, and Taiwan, among other places, to jam with a wide range of local musicians including Lexie Mountain, Tom Boram, and M.C. Schmidt.
The organizers tag it as the “highest-risk, highest-reward, international, improvised music festival,” and that’s pretty spot on. Any given number may be beautiful and it may be disastrous, but either way it will be live, immediate, deeply human, and ultimately transcendent. (Baynard Woods)
Baltimore City Presents: The Harvest, Metro Gallery, 2700 N. Charles Street, Saturday, September 25, 8 p.m.
August 2026 marked the 10-year anniversary of Beats Not Bullets, a nonprofit music education and mentorship program that teaches at-risk youth songwriting, audio engineering, and the music business. Over the last 10 years, Beats Not Bullets has recruited some of Baltimore’s most talented rappers and producers to give back to the youth by sharing their knowledge of the game (for full disclosure, I have worked with them).
On Saturday, September 26, they will celebrate by bringing together some of the best and brightest of Baltimore hip-hop. But this is not your typical hip-hop show. Every act is distinct from the next. An intentional decision to showcase the diversity in the city’s talent.
“We wanted the lineup to feel like a representation of the depth of talent that exists here rather than everybody sounding or performing the same,” says Kevin “Ogun” Beasley, the executive director and founder of Beats Not Bullets. “Baltimore has an incredible amount of talent, and sometimes we need more opportunities to put that talent together on one stage and present it with intention.”
The lineup, hosted by Chin-Yer, includes Black Chakra, Dapper Dan Midas, MC Bravado, Greenspan, Kay L.A., GAWDS, and New Money Moon with Ché Ray. There will also be a cypher with veteran and up-and-coming emcees and music by DJ Afr0delic. (Eze Jackson)
Abell Community Street Fair, Abell Avenue and 32nd Street, September 27th, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
You may know Abell Avenue for its brightly painted rowhomes, affectionately referred to as painted ladies, and you may have even taken a stroll through the neighborhood during the Abell Community Street Fair, the community’s free outdoor festival held on Abell Avenue and 32nd Street each year. What you may not know is that the grassroots festival, which started as a block party organized by a group of neighbors, is now on its 53rd year. Since 1973, the Abell Community Street fair has been bringing neighbors together to enjoy porch music performances and great food while learning about community organizations and supporting local artisan vendors.
This year’s theme is “Over the Moon” and the promotional posters have featured friendly aliens and spaceships. At the festival, kids from the neighborhood also create decor that matches the festival’s theme. This year’s porch performers include the emo-punk outfit Still Bones, electronic artist Pangelica, and jazz and experimental artist Daoure Diongue. There are also a number of children’s performers including a puppeteer, music lessons, and drag queen story time.
Attending the festival is free, but proceeds from the silent auction fundraise for the Abell Improvement Association, which hosts neighborhood activities like Porch Prom and Movies in the Open Space, most of which are open to the public. With the funds raised, the association also provides grants to the local Barclay School.
Last year at the Abell Community Street Fair I rode a stationary bike that powered a bubble machine while enjoying a guava popsicle from CM.Pops, and I’m hopeful I’ll be able to match — or even exceed — that level of whimsy this year. (Rhea Ramakrishnan)
“Molding My Truth: Shaping My Story,” Tribe 55+, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum, 300 Oella Avenue, Catonsville, Sunday, September 27, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Through Amy Sherald on Saturday February 28, 2026 at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Baltimore, Md Credit: Sydney Allen
Tribe55+, a collective of Black women artists 55 and over, will offer workshops, performances, and exhibitions at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum as part of a yearlong residency entitled “Molding My Truth: Shaping My Story.” The collective began, Stacey Cruise tells me, in 2023 when a group of three good friends discussed their love of art and performance over wine. Now, that group of three has grown to a collective with 72 members working across visual and literary art.
With exponential membership growth, the collective is focused on maintaining its foundation of doing things together. With that togetherness in mind, the residency will feature 21 events across artistic disciplines with multiple artists collaborating on exhibits and workshops. “When you’re in your 70s, ain’t too many new things to explore, but we’re finding them!” Cruise says with a chuckle. And Tribe55+ aims to inspire others to find new things to explore too. The residency strives to connect with artists of all ages and encourages families to come and make art together in public.
On October 4, the group launches photographer and multimedia artist Rose A. McNeill’s solo show, and in February visitors can experience “Pull Up A Chair I Have Something To Say,” a group exhibition curated by multimedia artist Sandra Davis. (Bry Reed)