Our Story

The Beginning (📍 Detroit )

Polyfold started in 2015 in Detroit as a collective of improvising musicians with the goal of supporting each other and our community through musical and professional collaboration. The collective consisted of up and coming musicians steeped in the richness of the Detroit musical tradition, with affinity to a holistic/experimental approach to music that is unbound by any particular style or genre. In addition to performing and organizing numerous concerts and workshops, we have partnered with cultural organizations including the Carr Center and Spread Art, educational programs including Detroit Youth Violin, and facilitated artistic residencies for touring musicians in Detroit.

The Bridge (Detroit <-> Brooklyn)

As more members of Polyfold migrated to New York City/Brooklyn, the function of the collective shifted towards establishing a bridge between like-minded communities in Detroit and NYC. We partnered with various venues and institutions to organize numerous concerts in NYC, creating opportunities for Detroit based musicians to play in the city . One highlight during this time is the organization of Polyfold Free Arts Festival at the New School’s Glass Box Theater, a full day of concerts featuring a wide cast of both NYC/Detroit based performers.

Non-profit Status

As our commitment to community building and engagement has increased we decided to pursue a tax-exempt status as a cultural organization. In May 2018 we received an official designation from the IRS as a 501(c)3 tax exempt group. This status enables us to seek institutional grant funding as well as private charitable donations.

Polyfold Today (📍Brooklyn)

As more Polyfold activities started to center around New York City / Brooklyn, Polyfold officially made its transition to be a Brooklyn-based collective with the Detroit-based members stepping down. We have fundraised over $10,000 to date in support of Polyfold Presents, a monthly concert series that spanned from 2018-2020. Beyond the concert series, we have continued to support and engage the community through collaboration with Columbia’s CDI, the Polyfold Music Record Label, the Sunday Salon series, and numerous other initiatives.