Soniq also invited the fantastic Laura Robles, percussionist and bassist, from the rich Afro-Peruvian music tradition. Laura Robles lives in Berlin since 2012 and is reputed to be one of the best Cajon players in her native country, Peru.
Photo Laura Robles by Peter Tümmers
Demián Ornstein, guitarist and composer from Buenos Aires, with deep roots in the folk music of his country, who is constantly widening his horizon through influences of diverse styles of Jazz and Tango.
Photo Demián Ornstein by Tercer Ojo
The compositions and arrangments of Demian Ornstein denote his personal life experiences and summarize the richness of the sound world that is part of his evolution as a musician. This means that within a distinct acoustic sound also chacarera, zamba or candombe rhythms are blended, together with jazz harmonies, flamenco melodies, tango cadences, where improvisation and expressivity always play the leading role. As a professional, he participated in different jazz, tango and folklore musical projects presented in several stages in Europe and South America. He is also a guitar teacher and professor at EMPA in Buenos Aires.
In 2008 he took part in the International Eisteddfod Festival, Llangollen, Wales (UK) together with Nicolás Argonz (singer). In 2009 he was invited to play at the Thelonius Jazz Bar, Ciudad de la Paz, Bolivia together with Martín Satorre (double bass player). In 2012 he released his first CD named “DeIda y Vuelta”, in collaboration with the Demian Ornstein Trio and other invited musicians such as Quique Sinesi, Bernardo Baraj and Patricio Villarejo.
In 2013 he was the musical director and arranger with the singer Celeste Táboas in the production of her CD Interior. In 2016 he participated in the Buenos Aires Jazz Festival at the Vinilo Cafe with Jarry Singla, Facundo Guevara and Mono Hurtado. Also, he took part in the Mar del Plata Jazz Festival at the Colon Theatre with Nicolás Croci and Jarry Singla.
Today, he is the leading part of the Confluencia Project together with Nicolás Croci (drummer), where he shares his music with other national and international artists such as Jarry Singla (Germany), Hikaru Iwakawa (Japan), Aleix Durán (Spain), Iván Katzman (Argentina), among others.
„ … with an acoustic sound, Ornstein shows to be a virtuoso guitarist and composer. His music combines expressivity and quality of interpretation …“ Journal Tiempo Argentino.
Kioomars Musayyebi was born in 1977 in Tehran. He learnt to play the santoor under the tutelage of the prominent santoor master, Faramarz Payevar. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in instrumental music. He completed his Masters at the Centre for World Music in Hildesheim. Kioomars is active as a freelance teacher. As a composer he combines Persian music and Jazz arrangements to create a new sound and is a regular member of the Transorient Orchestra since 2013. In 2015 he formed the Kioomars Musayebbi Quartet along with musicians from Germany. He has performed at many festivals such as the Fadjr Festival, Folk’n’Fusion Festival, at the Essen original and Creole Wettbewerb NRW 2017.
Hindol Deb, the Indian sitar player and composer, has explored the possibilities of the crossover of Indian music with other genres such as contemporary western classical, jazz, flamenco, Nordic folklore and Balkan music. Hindol was invited by the Academy of Carnegie Hall, the French Ministry of Culture and ETHNO Sweden as Artist in Residence to work with musicians there. He also had the honor and privilege of playing for Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama. Hindol currently lives in Cologne and is working on compositions for a crossover jazz project. He has conducted workshops at the Elbphilharmonie, the University of Music and Dance in Cologne, the Pop Akademie Mannheim.
Benedetta Reuter completed her dance studies at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen in 1995 and has ever since worked internationally as a freelance dancer, performer and choreographer. Her body of work explores relationships and interactions between dance and the other arts. Often she worked with musicians from the fields of free improvisation, new music and jazz and explores the relationship between sound and body. As a result of intensive practice in improvisation there emerged several interdisciplinary dance and performance projects, such as “The Fold Dance Project” or “Electric Tire-Land” in collaboration with ASEDEVA and the Goethe Institute in Daressalam, Tanzania.
Photo Benedetta Reuter by Hannah Bergus
Meera Varghese is a dancer, choreographer and teacher of the South Indian classical dance form Bharatanatyam. Born and raised in Canada, Meera Varghese has performed as a Bharatanatyam soloist in countless dance productions and festivals in India, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
Meera Varghese is also a trained opera singer and completed her Masters in Music and Opera Performance at the HMT in Cologne. She has sung in numerous opera productions at theatres in Aachen and Münster, at Bayer Kultur and the Kammeroper Köln. Meera has also played various roles as an actor, dancer and singer in productions of children’s theatre.
Photo Meera Varghese by Stefano Triulzi
