Since 1994, Sten Hostfalt's active innovative contribution to the Downtown New York City Creative Music and Art Scene, known as one of the world's most influential cultural melting pots, has been manifested at music venues from Mitch Borden's subsequently famed Jazz Club Smalls-during the inception, weekly, as one of the featured 'brilliant soloists' (David R. Adler, All Music Guide 1995) in Guillermo Klein's Big Van-'one of the better continuing experiments in New York' (Peter Watrous, The New York Times,1995), Knitting Factory (Leonard Street-era), The Bowery Poetry Club, The C-Note, 5C Cafe', The Brecht Forum, The Yippie Cafe', as well as continously since 2006 appearing at historic, legendary Downtown NYC independent music & art forum ABC No Rio. To new millennium forums like East Village's Nublu, Harlem's Carlito's Art for Change, and Shrine, and Symphony Space's Thalia Cafe', Uptown Manhattan. Brooklyn's Goodbye Blue Monday, Freddy's Backroom, Douglass Street Music Collective, Issue Project Room, Stain Bar, and ShapeShifter Lab. And Staten Island's Everything Goes Book Cafe'. Involving a creative network, representing and formulating and defining recent to current era modern Jazz and Improvised Music.

July 26, 2026 at P.I.T., Brooklyn NY.  Sten Hostfalt-sopranino guitar, Keith Gardner-bass clarinet, Robyn Siwula-viola. In a ABC No Rio C.O.M.A. in Exile Benefit for the original Rivington St. LES space rebuild.
​The event also featured: David Aaron, Christopher John Hamilton and Dan Jones, Keith Gardner, Peter Knoll, Christian Finger, Jim McHugh, Volker Goetze, Elijah Shiffer, Robyn Siwula, Chris Kelsey, Barry Seroff, Luigi Porto, David Thomas Gould, Michael Irwin, Richard Rosenthal, Craig Flanagin, Andy Weintraub, Anne Tobey Bassen, Jackson Krall - Secret Music Society with Elliott Levin, Tor Snyder, and Daniel Carter.

Left and Center: Evan Gallaghers large ensemble in concert, at C.O.M.A, ABC No Rio, Lower East Side, New York City, April 6, 2014. Woodwinds: Blaise Siwula-clarinet, soprano saxophone, Ras Moshe-flute, tenor saxophone, Chris Hiatt-flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, Alan Brady-clarinet, Bill Cooke-tenor saxophone, Michael Lytle-bass clarinet. Brass: John McDonough, and Flip Barnes-trumpets, Stan Nishimura-trombone, Katsuki Yasuno-Euphonius Horn, Kevin Schmidt-tuba. Rhythm: Sten Hostfalt-guitar, Jochem Van Dijk, and Joe Gallant-bass, Christine Bard-percussion. Evan Gallagher-composition, conductor, Casio CZ-101 keyboard, Bruce Golden-compositions. Right: Evan Gallagher's nonet at ABC No Rio, NYC, June 16, 2014. Photography by Risa Inoue.

Far left: Stan Nishimura Ensemble, June 22, 2013 at CultureFix NYC, Stan Nishimura-trombone, Sten Hostfalt-guitar, Constance Cooper-voice, Blasie Siwula and Rocco Iacovone-saxophones, Evan Gallagher-Casio keyboard. Second Left: Jonathan Wood-Vincent-accordion and Sten Hostfalt-guitar, at the February 9, 2012 Joe Maneri Tribute, Douglass St. Collective, Brooklyn NY. Center Left: Sten Hostfalt-mandolin, Blasie Siwula-alto saxophone, Lex Samu-trumpet, October 19, 2008 at ABC No Rio NYC. Center Right: Adam Pultz-Melbye bass, and Sten Hostfalt-guitar April 5, 2015, at ABC No Rio, Second right: Trudy Silver Trio + 1, at 5C Cafe' NYC, December 19, 2009 : Sten Hostfalt-mandolin, Hilliard Greene-bass, Jerome Ellis-tenor saxophone, and Trudy Silver-piano. Right: Robyn Siwula-viola, Sten Hostfalt-mandolin, Cheryl Pyle-flute, June 19, 2011 at ABC No Rio, NYC.