The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) presents Karl Ove Knausgård and Glenn Kotche: Historia on Thursday, October 30, 2025 at 7:30PM on the David Geffen Stage at Kaufmann Concert Hall. Globally renowned writer Karl Ove Knausgård (My Struggle, The Morning Star) and composer/percussionist Glenn Kotche (Wilco) will come together for a shared evening of words and music celebrating artistic collaboration.

Featuring visuals by director Johan Renck (HBO’s Chernobyl, David Bowie’s Blackstar), the program is centered on the premiere of a new work that blends Knausgård’s hypnotic language with Kotche’s unique percussive style. The evening will include readings and performances of pieces, old and new, from each collaborator, and closes with a conversation on Knausgård and Kotche’s creative process. The program is an invitation to audiences to engage with and reflect on the power of artistic collaboration.

Historia was commissioned by Liquid Music, The 92nd Street Y, New York, and Northrop at The University of Minnesota; and is co-presented by Liquid Music and 92NY’s Tisch Music and Unterberg Poetry Center.

About the Artists
Karl Ove Knausgård (Author)’s first novel, Out of the World, was the first ever debut novel to win the Norwegian Critics’ Prize and his second, A Time for Everything, was longlisted for the 2010 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. The My Struggle cycle of novels has been heralded as a masterpiece wherever it has appeared. His work is published in 35 languages. Knausgård’s newest novel, The School of Night, will be published by Penguin Press in January 2026.

Glenn Kotche (Composer/Percussionist) has been the drummer of the groundbreaking rock band Wilco since 2001. With Wilco, he has toured extensively internationally and recorded ten studio albums — garnering a Grammy, 7 Grammy nominations and 2 RIAA certified gold records along the way. As a composer, he has released seven solo albums and has been commissioned by renowned ensembles and organizations including the Kronos Quartet, Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble, Bang on a Can All-Stars, Eighth Blackbird, Sō Percussion, Third Coast Percussion, Carnegie Hall, TROMP International Percussion Competition, Norway’s 1B1 Orchestra, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Cross-linx Festival and Roomful of Teeth — as well as several other soloists, ensembles, institutions and presenters.

Always exploring new possibilities for growth, Kotche has also done disparate, cross-disciplinary collaborations with the likes of choreographer Danielle Agami, actor Jon Hamm, chef Rick Bayless, WNYC’s Radiolab, Notre Dame’s Engineering Department, digital media company Thunderlab, and Delta Faucets. In 2015 Kotche commissioned composer John Luther Adams resulting in the 50-minute solo tour de force, Ilimaq. He has also created several sound installations for institutions such as MASSMoCA, Artpark, and Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands.

Kotche has played on over 180 recordings by artists such as Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, KD Lang, Neko Case, Laura Viers, First Aid Kit, Radiohead’s Phil Selway and Ed O’Brien, Andrew Bird, Iron and Wine, Jim O’Rourke, Neil Finn, Low, and Beck. Since 1998 he has been half of the genre-bending duo, On Fillmore, along with Darin Gray. He is also a member of the bands Saccata Quartet and Loose Fur.

In 2020 Kotche started his weekly video post, the Drum Beat Project — a multi-year process piece that explores the compositional possibilities of drum beats. He resides in Chicago with his wife and their two children.

Johan Renck (Filmmaker) has established himself as one of the most respected and sought-after directors working today. He began his career directing music videos for top artists, most recently David Bowie’s final two videos “Blackstar” and “Lazarus”. His debut film Downloading Nancy premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival, which he followed with acclaimed Swedish limited series The Fat and the Angry. Renck directed the pilots for Vikings, Bloodline and Shut Eye as well as episodes of Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Halt and Catch Fire, and Bates Motel. He co-produced and directed all episodes of the BAFTA-nominated limited series The Last Panthers starring John Hurt and Samantha Morton. Renck’s latest is Chernobyl, the highest-rated TV show ever on IMDb, with 19 Emmy nominations and 10 Emmy wins, including Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series and Outstanding Limited Series. Most recently, Renck directed the sci-fi feature film Spaceman, starring Adam Sandler, Carey Mulligan and Paul Dano. The film debuted at number one on Netflix for two weeks running. Renck is currently in development on a range of projects across film and TV, with his new production company Sinestra, based in New York.

Liquid Music is a leading producer of special projects in contemporary music, an internationally recognized laboratory for artists from across genre and disciplinary spectrums. This creative institution nurtures and realizes bold ideas from performers and composers, inspiring audiences to discover, learn and be transformed. Founded at The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in 2012, Liquid Music became independent in 2020, owned and operated by artistic director Kate Nordstrum. For more information, visit liquidmusic.org.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY's programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.