Eli Klausner & Melissa Achten

Oracle Egg was founded by Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner in 2021, initially as a concept for platforming experimental work in Los Angeles. As artists themselves, they had experienced how difficult it could be to find spaces that offered not only a place to perform, but the time, resources, and freedom to develop ambitious new work. Oracle Egg eventually grew into a space that addressed necessity: an artist-run incubator built around the conditions they wanted for their own practices and for those of their community.

Together, Melissa and Eli shape Oracle Egg’s programming and work closely with artists throughout the development and presentation of their projects. Their approach is informed by their own experiences making interdisciplinary and experimental work, including their collaborative practice as the duo Deathflavorkiss, with an emphasis on process, experimentation, and creating space for projects that may not fit within traditional presenting models.

Melissa Achten is a Los Angeles–based harpist, composer, improvisor, and curator. Drawn to interdisciplinary form, Melissa frequently collaborates with performers, composers, and other artists to realize their work and her own. She is the other half of experimental harp & cello duo RÁN and the principal harpist for Ghost Ensemble. As a soloist and ensemble member, she has performed and premiered work in New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, and Copenhagen.

Eli Klausner is a composer, improviser, and curator whose work spans composition, improvisation, and instrument building. His practice ranges from piano to hand-built instruments of his own invention, and his compositions have been presented in Los Angeles, London, Cyprus, and at the Darmstadt Summer Festival.