Counter Phrases with TM+ and Orchestre de Mulhouse

It's an honour and a pleasure to be joining the French ensemble TM+ and the Orchestre de Mulhouse for a new version of Counter Phrases! An original production by Ictus and Rosas, combining video's of Thierry De Mey, choreography by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and music by composers such as Fausto Romitelli, Jonathan Harvey, Luca Francesconi, Steve Reich and others, creating a wonderful blend of music, video and dance.

Counter Phrases Coordination artistique & direction de film: Thierry De Mey Chorégraphie: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker Musique: Fausto Romitelli Interpretation: Ictus Ensemble

Here are the performance dates:

05/02/2016 Maison de la Musique, Nanterre

06/02/2016 Maison de la Musique, Manterre

17/05/2016 Philharmonie de Paris, Paris

24/06/2016 La Filature, Mulhouse

Zwerm & Fred Frith!

Zwerm's collaboration with legendary guitarist Fred Frith is finally happening, a project I've been looking forward to for a VERY long time!! We've finished rehearsals and it's an incredible pleasure to work with such an inspiring performer and person. The concert will feature five of our own pieces, with Fred Frith as guest performer, as well as a new piece Fred wrote for the occasion and a solo improvisation.

Rehearsing at Handelsbeurs in Gent.

If you're around come hear one of our three concerts in Gent, Antwerpen or Den Bosch:

05/11 Handelsbeurs, Gent

06/11 deSingel, Antwerp

07/11 November music, Den Bosch

Here's a small audio-trailer:

Fall news!!

After a very busy summer season, that brought me from Germany (Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Acker Stadt Palast, Berlin) to Brazil (Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte) with Oh Mensch guitar duo, followed by an intense tour with soundinitiative with concerts in Singapore, New Zealand and Australia and finally Oslo's Ultima Festival with Zwerm electric guitar quartet, I'm now getting ready for an exciting fall season!

Zwerm will create two new projects this fall, starting with FEU, a dance performance by choreographer Etienne Guilloteau and his "Action Scenique", for which Zwerm will make the music. The premiere will be on october 20th at STUK in Leuven. A second performance will take place at Kaaitheater in Brussels on november 28th. More performances are planned in the spring.

Zwerm is also VERY excited to finally collaborate with legendary guitarist Fred Frith this fall! We'll share a concert with Fred, creating our own compositions and improvising together. Check out this little audio-teaser:

Three performances are planned in deSingel in Antwerp, Handelsbeurs in Ghent and November Music, Den Bosch. Get your tickets now!

05/11 Handelsbeurs, Gent

06/11 deSingel, Antwerp

07/11 November music, Den Bosch

I'm currently writing this from Donaueschingen where the Nadar-ensemble is busy preparing a program with new pieces by Stefan Prins and Michael Beil for the Donaueschinger Musiktage. Always a great adventure! This performance will be repeated in deBijloke in Ghent on december 11.

Also with Nadar will be a performance of Simon Steen Andersen's masterpiece "Black Box Music". An incredible work, not to be missed! Performances will take place in Concertgebouw, Brugge on november 18 and in Sint-Niklaas on november 19. 

I'll perform with Soundinitiative again as well this fall, at the Blundenz Tage for Neue Musik in Austria on november 21.

Lastly I'm very much looking forward to join the Ictus-Ensemble again for a concert together with Wolfgang Mitterer and guitarist Marc Ducret at the Lille opera on november 10!

Hello from down under!!!

I'm currently on an amazing tour with soundinitiative, which has taken us to Singapore, New Zealand and currently Melbourne where I'm writing this. 

After a very well received concert at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington on august 22nd, we've currently made it to Melbourne, Australia, where we're preparing for three concerts at the Bendigo festival for exploratory music (BIFEM)! The first concert on september 4th will feature the world premier of a 40 minute long work by Austrian composer Bernhard Lang, "The Exhausted" for solo voice and ensemble, a truly great work, with a wonderful guitar part in it! 

On the next day, september 5th, Soundinitiative will perform a second concert featuring chamber works from french composers, I'll perform Rafael Cendo's "Faction". And last but not least, as part of BIFEM's Argonaut-project, I will also perform in Alexander Schubert's electrifying Superimpose-cycle (Superimpose III "Infinite Jest") on september 6th.

After this we go on to Brisbane where soundinitiative will perform "Made in France" again on the 8th of september as part of the Brisbane Festival. Then we return to Singapore where we'll perform Bernhard Lang's "The Exhausted" one more time before ending this tour and returning home to Belgium... :)

Back in Schloss Solitude and other Oh Mensch related news!

During the months of june and july, guitar duo Oh Mensch is back in residency at Akademie Schloss Solitude, near Stuttgart. We've been very busy working on new repertoire, recording, performing and preparing some exciting upcoming projects!

On june 14th we had the pleasure to premier Christopher Trapani's beautiful new piece for two steel string guitars called "Alcohol and Algebra" at the Sommer in Stuttgart festival, alongside other pieces by Brian Ferneyhough, Matthias Spahlinger and Larry Polansky.

During this time composer Turgut Ercetin paid us a visit to work on a new ambitious piece for two guitars called "Catalysis (a): Şafak and Bahtiyar", which will be premiered in january 2016. 

Working with Turgut Ercetin in our studio at Schloss Solitude.

A week later we went to Berlin to perform at Acker Stadt Palast and work with composer Matthias Spahlinger on his piece "Entfernte Ergänzung" in a version for two guitars. 

Working with Matthias Spahlinger at Acker Stadt Palast, Berlin

In may we also started recording music for an upcoming album which will feature pieces centered around the theme of microtonality. We recorded pieces by Brian Ferneyhough, Arthur Kampela and Larry Polansky in Johan Vandermaelen's studio near Brussels and are now continuing our recordings at Schloss Solitude with pieces written for us by Tim Mariën and Christopher Trapani. In later stage we will also add Turgut Ercetin's new piece to the set.

Recording at Johan Vandermaelens's studio near Brussels in may.

Next up here in Schloss Solitude is a presentation of Christopher Trapani's music featuring his "Alcohol and Algebra" as well as the solo piece "Really Coming Down" on the 10th of july here at Schloss Solitude. Then we'll start rehearsing for a performance during the 25th anniversary festival of Akademie Schloss Solitude, where we'll perform Xavier Leroy's choreography on Helmut Lachenmann's "Salut für Caudwell"!

Lastly, Oh Mensch will finally also perform in Brazil in the end of july! A mini-tour will bring us to Sao Paolo for a performance at FIME (Festival International de Musica Experimental) on july 28th and Belo Horizonte for a concert at Fundação de Educação Artistica. Our program will feature the Brazilian premier of Helmut Lachenmann's "Salut for Caudwell", next to pieces by Matthias Spahlinger and Arthur Kampela.