Krissy Bergmark

global folk-inspired jazz

Sounds like:

Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck, and Edgar Meyer trio
Portico Quartet

BIO

Krissy Bergmark is a tabla player, percussionist, improviser, and educator whose work expands the tabla’s role across contemporary, freely improvised, experimental, and American folk traditions. Rooted in her study with world-renowned tabla artist Pandit Yogesh Samsi of the Punjab Gharana, Bergmark brings tabla into new sonic contexts through improvisation, composition, and collaboration.

Her work has been supported by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), the Jerome Foundation, the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, and the Minnesota State Arts Board, among others. She is a founding member of the progressive folk trio Sprig of That, whose debut album bloom (2023) was produced by Wes Corbett (Sam Bush Band) and engineered by Grammy-winner Dave Sinko (Punch Brothers).

Bergmark is a professor of music at Oakton College. She performs in the improvising trios Decollage (Simone Baron, Adi Meyerson) and Quilted (Melissa Almaguer, Samantha Kochis). Her ongoing solo project Body of Water explores sound and rhythm as a vessel for memory, lineage, transformation, and possibility. Her in-studio improvised album Everything’s Glacial Shine, created with Anthony Cox, was released on December 31st, 2025. You can stay updated on her latest recordings, projects, and performances via www.krissybergmark.com, Facebook, and Instagram.