Mitch Heinrich

MITCH HEINRICH, sound poet, lyricist and vocal performer, studied at the School of Poetry with Henri Chopin and Allen Ginsberg, amongst others.

Mitch Heinrich

Photo by S.Kayaalp

Between 1996 and 2000 he went on reading and concert tours to Medellin (Colombia) and (with violinist Christoph Irmer) to Beijing. He participated and still participates in large-scale poetic projects (“Friedenskarawane”, “Bodensinnphonie”, “human noise congress” etc.) and has been or is a member of various artist groups such as SKOLA, Marinemuseum Luzern, Das Tier, Vokalensemble millefleurs, WIO, LOCH.
In the last few years he has worked with Christoph Irmer, Florian Stadler, Sue Schlotte, Willem Schulz, Christoph Schiller, Marei Seuthe and Maik Ollhoff.

Sascha Ley

SASCHA LEY is a singer, improviser, actress, polyglot poet and performer who explores stylistic boundaries at the intersection of jazz, free improvisation, imaginary folklore, classical and new music with a penchant for unusual projects, creating a complementary blend of improvisation and composition.

Photo by Lugdivine Unfer

She performs internationally both as a soloist and with her own duo to quartet combos and as a guest in a variety of ensembles between jazz and contemporary music. In addition to music, theater and cinema, she devotes herself to composing, writing and visual art, as well as the creation and production of interdisciplinary interdisciplinary performances. The German-Luxemburger lives in Luxembourg and works internationally. Sascha Ley studied jazz, classical technique and Hindustani singing in Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Mumbai and Saarbrücken and, inspired by master classes given by Shelley Hirsch, Meredith Monk, Sainkho Namtschylak and Frank Köllges, has been working with extended techniques. As an avid traveler, her adventurous spirit is often reflected in her projects. She has performed in Europe, India, Canada and the United States. In cinema, she has worked with Margarethe von Trotta (Hannah Arendt), Philippe Fernandez (Cosmodrama) and Elfi Mikesch (Fever), among others. She performs solo or as a duo with the French double bass player Laurent Payfert and occasionally works with the Ensemble “United Instruments of Lucilin” and is currently working with Georg Ruby both as a duo and in the trio ‘Village Zone’. She is connected to the Cologne scene through previous collaborations and performances with Christina Fuchs, Caroline Thon, Ramesh Shotham, Laia Genc (Kalima) and the Adam Noidlt Intermission Orchestra, among others.

www.saschaley.com

Zuzana Leharová

(Substitute for Carolin Pook, who was ill at short notice)

Zuzana Leharová is an improvisational musician rooted in various musical genres and styles, with a focus on jazz. The Slovakian-born Austrian violinist, composer and arranger lives in Cologne.

Carolin Pook

Photo by Taisjia Chernishova

As the bandleader of the Zuzana Leharová Quartet or “prominently” as a sidewoman, she is an integral part of the Cologne jazz scene and is involved in various projects, where she is experienced as a versatile and energetic improviser.

Zuzana grew up in Tyrol and after studying classical violin at the conservatory in Innsbruck, she continued her studies at the Conservatorium of Amsterdam and Maastricht, before finally completing her jazz violin studies at the University of Music and Dance in Cologne, where she found in Michael Gustorff, Claudius Valk, as well as Prof. Dieter Manderscheid and Sebastian Gramss, formative teachers and mentors for her further musical career.

Since 2008 Zuzana Leharová appeared, besides her own projects, in numerous formations such as Urbanic Cycles, Multiple Choice Orchestra, John Betsch Society and Tabadoul Orchestra, and worked with artists such as, Angelika Sheridan, Angelika Niescier, Annette Maye, Bastian Stein, Carl Ludwig Hübsch, Carolin Pook, Bodek Janke, Elisabeth Coudoux, Filippa Gojo, Jobic Le Masson, John Betsch, Joscha Oetz, Nils Klein, Nils Tegen, Simon Rummel and Peter Giron.
In addition to working on various studio productions and as a musician for the Rundfunk Tanzorchester Ehrenfeld (ZDF Neo), regular activities at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus have created a close working relationship with director Robert Wilson.

 

www.zuzanaleharova.com
youtube
Instagram
Facebook

Carolin Pook

Carolin Pook is a German violinist, composer, improviser, conductor, and percussionist. Her musical creations are often tailored to the musicians and are frequently a combination of improvisation and composition. The press describes her compositional style as postmodern sound architecture of sometimes magical intensity.

Carolin Pook

Photo Carolin Pook by Helmut Berns

Before starting her jazz studies (double major in violin and percussion) at the Musikhochschule Köln in 2000, she had already written a full-length musical and performed in Europe and worldwide, including Bangalore, India. During her jazz studies, her interest in cross-genre contemporary music grew, and after moving to New York in 2006, she focused on composing/arranging and free or conducted improvisation “conduction”. With her ensemble “the Pookestra,” she performs multiple times a year in New York, with each concert being a world premiere.

In 2011, she wrote a 30-minute composition for the Deutsche Radiophilharmonie and the Roy Hargrove quintet. In 2012, she composed for Peter Brötzmann and eight percussionists to commemorate the anniversary of the Wuppertaler Jazzmeeting. In 2016, she was the “Improviser in Residence” in Moers and opened the Moers Festival with “Pezzettino 8,” a creation for eight violinists who use percussion instruments with their feet. In 2017, she composed stage music for the theater production of Wuppertaler Bühnen’s “Don Quichote” and a violin concerto for the EOS Kammerorchester Köln under the direction of Susanne Blumenthal. In 2022, her second violin concerto, “About Time,” was premiered, commissioned by the Schwäbische Jugendsinfonieorchester with Hannah Weirich (Ensemble Musikfabrik) as the soloist.

Carolin Pook is in high demand as an interpreter on the violin, both in contemporary classical music and jazz. Since 2021, she has been serving as the concertmaster of the EOS Kammerorchester Köln.

www.carolinpook.com
youtube
Instagram
Facebook

Bassem Hawar

Bassem Hawar, born in 1972 in Baghdad, Iraq, studied Iraqi and Oriental music with a focus on the Djoze at the conservatory in Baghdad. He also studied violin and musicology at the university.

For several years, he taught Djoze, violin, and music theory at the conservatory and music school in Baghdad. He played in various formations, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture such as Al Bayariq, Al Nahar al jadid, Babel, and the State Symphony Orchestra. Together with his brother Saad Mahmood, he founded the group Melodic.

Bassem Hawar – Djoze

Photo Bassem Hawar

Bassem Hawar builds his own instruments. He further developed the Djoze so that it can play all forms of Arabic and European music and is not limited to its traditional scope, the Iraqi Maqam. Instruments built according to his design are now known as “Bassem’s Djoze.”

Bassem has been living in Germany since 2000 and has established himself in the free music scene. He is a co-founder of the ensembles Lagash, Ahoar, and Sidare, with which he has performed internationally. Ahoar won the 1st prize at the regional competition Creole NRW in 2006 and the following year at the federal competition of the World Music Prize.

Currently, Bassem plays in numerous groups of various musical genres, ranging from classical Iraqi Maqam (Duo Melodic, Mesopotamiens) to European medieval music (Sanstierce, La Beltatz), Flamenco (Trio Ziryab), new music, and experimental jazz (Crossover Bagdad Köln). In 2018, he founded the Nouruz Ensemble, which further develops contemporary oriental art music. The ensemble was included in the “Musikkulturen” promotion program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia for the 2019/20 season.

Bassem Hawar is a recipient of the WDR Jazz Prize 2020 in the Musikkulturen category.

www.bassemhawar.com
Youtube
Instagram

Uli Sigg

Uli Sigg is a German visual artist specializing in live performances, scenic design, and video productions.
He is co-founder of “bandbreite” a vj-collective in Cologne and of “lsb_TV,” a weekly Live-Radio-TV-Internet-Show in Berlin. Uli is Director of Technology & Strategy of “BYFF” Brighton Youth Film Festival.

He performed live visuals for “Drum Rhythm Nights” and over 58 concerts and dj-sets in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Munich. He has worked on Germany´s highest profile event series, courtesy of Electric Chair / Karsten Jahnke Concerts with artists including Adam F, Goldie, Etienne de Crecy, Giles Peterson, Howie B, Jazzanova, Jimi Tenor, Kemistry & Storm, Kid Loco, and others. VJ-Performances at Festivals, including Urban Arts Form, Popkomm, Battery Park, Melt, Fusion,℅ pop, Juicy Beats, Big Up with Jeff Mills.

Foto: Merzouga by Michael Englert

Photo Uli Sigg by Uli Sigg

He created and curated the “VJ-Festival ℅ Pop” in Cologne and “MP7” live media cub.

Since 2005, he has done scenic design and video production for theater-, opera- and dance-production in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg, San Francisco, Porto, Nürnberg, Torino, Halle, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Bangalore. Visual direction of Broadcast-Live-Events for WDR, Deutsche Welle, Funkhaus Europa.

Most recently: liquid sky berlin presentz “#lsb_TV” on alex berlin- tv / radio / internetstream. Experimental music & video / cross-media art from Berlin / concept by dr walker & uli sigg / hosted by the liquid sky berlin family.

www.ulisigg.com
Facebook
Instagram