Che Buford (he, they) is an NYC-based artist whose work explores creating new narratives within the world of music while engaging in themes of memory and place.
Che performs as a violinist in various musical settings, specializing in improvisational performance, contemporary compositions, electroacoustic work, and interdisciplinary collaborations. They have performed and presented work in spaces such as Roulette, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Joe’s Pub, Antenna Cloud Farm, Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt, ISSUE project room, and National Sawdust. He has collaborated with artists including Palaver Strings, Adama Delphine Fawundu, Deborah Jack, Steph Davis, Pamela Z, and others. As a composer, their work explores the possibilities of timbre and acoustical phenomena and connects them to elements of place, memory, poetry, and the quotidian. Che has received commissions from artists and organizations including Longleash, The Rhythm Method, New York Philharmonic, and Castle of our Skins.
Che is a founding member of Diaphanous Ensemble, a genre-bending composition, improvisation, and performance collective started with Abby Swidler & Aimée Niemann. Diaphanous premiered four new string quartets by its members in August 2023. They also performed with Ioanna Gika as part of Jacolby Satterwhite’s A Metta Prayer, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in September 2023.
Upcoming highlights for the 2024-2025 season include the world premiere of a new solo violin and fixed media work written for renowned violinist Midori, as part of her 2025 recital season with performances at the Edinburgh Festival, 92nd Street Y, The Celebrity Series of Boston, San Francisco Performances, and the Colburn Celebrity Series. A new work for visual artist Deborah Jack’s seven-panel video installation, co-composed, recorded, and produced by Diaphanous Ensemble, will be exhibited in fall/winter 2024 at the New Orleans Triennial. Finally, a debut solo album is set to be released in spring 2025.
Che holds a degree from Boston Conservatory at Berklee as a presidential scholar in violin performance. They are currently a DMA candidate at Columbia University in Music Composition. When Che isn’t interacting with music, he enjoys taking long walks, cooking vegan food, and thrifting.