WORLD CITIZENS MUSIC

Presents

THE EUROPEAN ORCHESTRA VIVO!

Press kit 2010

AN ORCHESTRA THAT CAN TRANSFORM ITSELF INTO MANY DIFFERENT GROUPS

This orchestra is a strange creature, isn’t it? One From a quartet to a thing is certain: ViVo! is an orchestra. But what sort philharmonic group, an of orchestra should we be expecting? infinitely flexible orchestra

Well, we should really be expecting everything.

With its forty-strong group of musicians, ViVo! is an orchestra that can transform itself into many different groups. In a game of “If I were an animal…” ViVo! would be a mischievous chameleon, meaning it can change into whatever it wants and go from being a small string quartet to a symphonic group to a rock group to a conventional brass band.

As a result, it is not restricted by space. During the same performance, ViVo! can split up into sub-groups playing in different places, only to come back together later on.

WHY “VIVO!”?

As the project showcase, the orchestra’s name had to be chosen with care. The word “vivo”, which is borrowed from Esperanto, means “life”. Because above all else, ViVo! is a living orchestra. Neither limited to a particular style, nor rooted in a specific age, ViVo! lives and moves at its own pace, according to what it comes across or discovers or explores.

And because everyone can understand it (if only by instinct), the word also conveys the wish for international dialogue which Garrett List means to promote with this new cross-border orchestra.

2 A EUROPEAN ORCHESTRA

Two sets of auditions took place in the three main towns of the Eurégio region (Aachen, Liège and Maastricht). Two main selection criteria - the search for an ideal and a high standard of instrumental ability- meant that any fewer would not be enough to recruit 47 musicians.

And so ViVo! has taken on its colours. Many countries 47 musicians and a blend are represented: , Holland and Germany of of nationalities served up course, but also France, the United States, Poland, by Garrett List Russia, Korea, Chile, etc.

A strange cocktail of nationalities, isn’t it? The barman behind the recipe wasn’t born yesterday: with his mischievous look, Garrett List1, himself a blend of America and Liège, is playing the unifying parts (or should that be disruptive?). Fused together in this project are his expertise, his taste for experimenting and his trust in Man’s creativity.

1 See Garrett List’s biography in the annexe

3 A patchwork such as this makes for fertile exchanges between artists. Everyone learns from each other. Cultural and linguistic barriers tumble down. Music becomes the tool which we can use to dig deep into our heritage to look for our common roots.

But although this step has to be taken, it must also be ViVo! thinks globally carefully thought out: the world has become a global while operating village where we don’t even know our own next-door locally neighbours. That’s why ViVo! is working first of all in the place where it arose, that is in the Eurégio region, with our immediate neighbours. ViVo! remains open to musicians from all over Europe but the first contacts in terms of collaboration have been forged with partners in Liège, Aachen and Maastricht. Little by little, these collaborations will lead to others and ViVo! will develop through a ripple effect.

ViVo! becomes a cross-border playing field, a place for dialogue between cultures.

VIVO! IS ALSO… A JOB OPPORTUNITY FOR OVER FORTY MUSICIANS

Obviously it’s a place for exchange, but in practical terms it’s a place of work too. Eventually, ViVo! intends to secure the full-time services of 30 musicians for seasons running for 2 to 3 months a year. For the time being, it is a marvellous opportunity for young musicians (from 25 to 40 years old) to boost their list of contacts by developing a professional international network. Building up contacts with foreign professionals is, in fact, a good way to attain an international career.

4 THE LINE-UP OF THE ORCHESTRA

STRINGS

Violin Cello - Joanna Czaj (PL) - Thomas Lecyk (PL) - Aleksandra Stadniczenko (PL) - Marine Horbaczewski (BE) - Karlien Opsteeg (NL) - Alexandre Oratovski (RU) - Martin Lauwers (BE) - Véronique de Wit-Franssen (NL) - Maritsa Ney (BE) - Soo-Kyung Bong (Korea) - Anne-Sylvie Primo (BE) - Ewelina Krysiak (PL) - Joanna Malinoloska (PL)

Viola Double bass - Sigried Keunen (BE) - Pierre Greco (BE) - Domenica Eyckmans (BE) - André Klenes (BE) - Emerentia Kleben (NL)

WIND

Saxophone Flute - Anne Gennen (BE) - Emmanuel Godinot (FR) - Bruno Grollet (BE) - Delphine Havaux (BE) - Jan Rzewski - BE/IT/USA - Quentin Manfroy (BE) - Grégoire Tirtiaux (BE) - Carmen Heuschen (BE) - Francois Lourtie (BE)

Oboe Clarinet - Romain Vieslet (BE) - Piotr Torunski (PL) - Tom van de Graaf (BE) - Aurélie Charneux (BE) - Jean-François Foliez (BE)

5 Bassoon Trumpet - Susan Jofré Pomareda (Chili) - Marc Frankinet (BE) - Joanie Carlier (FR) - Antoine Dawans (BE)

Trombone - Adrien Lambinet (BE)

OTHER

Keyboard Guitar - Johan Dupont (BE) - Emmanuel Louis (BE) - Lionel Polis (BE) - Benjamin Sauzereau (FR) - Julie Mairy (BE) - Emmanuel Bailly (FR) - Philippe Liénart (BE)

Drums Electric bass - Etienne Plummer (BE) - Luc Evens (BE)

Accordion - Karine Germaix (FR)

6 THE VIVO! PHILOSOPHY

The world has reached a pivotal moment in its history: it’s no longer enough to condemn its failings; we now have to think of solutions together. Acknowledging this leads to another realisation: that we have gradually A challenge: to stimulate lost confidence in our creative power. As if Man was the human imagination inclined to forget that he was able to create, through creating music imagine and invent new ways of operating.

There are no revolutionary slogans, or calls for an uprising of the masses, or sudden cultural wake-up calls for the mind on ViVo!’s programme. Far from subscribing to that kind of attitude, ViVo! prefers to embark upon a positive course of action rather than just alerting people. How does it do this? By bringing together young and talented musicians from a wide variety of backgrounds to explore our common heritage together and learn how to live together through performing music. What is it hoping for? That the resulting music touches everyone’s heart and stimulates their imagination, thereby restoring confidence in Man’s individual ability to imagine and conceive a future possible for everyone today and future generations. In this sense, ViVo! is striving to be an authentic artistic step for restoring everyone’s faith in his or her creative ability.

7 Think of ViVo! as a large laboratory brimming with test-tubes and cylinders and Bunsen burners. The A lab, mad scientists and composers (who are also musicians) and the new, creative and popular musicians (who are sure to be composers too) all music

get together like slightly nutty scientists. The place is bubbling over. Musical potions are being concocted, test-tubes filled with notes are being manipulated, and mixtures are being tested, occasionally explosive ones… In short, we experiment and end up producing something new: a piece of music which speaks to everybody because it restores confidence in this ability in everyone to create. Music for people, in one sense. For people but not in a commercial way. For people in the sense of everybody’s need to express themselves, communicate and invent.

Des commandes

auprès de talents

émergents ou

confirmés

ViVo! joue cette musique nouvelle, créée par des talents émergents et confirmés, jeunes et moins jeunes. Les impératifs fixés aux compositeurs ? Aucun ! Le caractère modulable de l’orchestre offre une liberté infinie en matière de création.

8 A PLURALISTIC STYLE

As for the style, strictly speaking...

Actually, the style doesn’t much matter. As a cross-border orchestra, ViVo! continually wonders about its common heritage : who are we ? What are the features that unite us despite our apparent differences?

In their laboratory of sound, the researchers discover The magic word: open. elements in response. So the fruits of their research are Open to different styles, shown in the different styles. ViVo! does not limit itself to open to the diverse one particular style. Quite the reverse, it considers them

all. Be prepared to hear classical music, of course. But also jazz and folk music. And hey, why not rock music and pop?

To respond to this ideal of openness, ViVo! can rely on a rhythm section integrated into the orchestra, as well as the experience of its musicians.

So the music has no guiding light. Possibilities stretch out further and further so that the only limitation becomes the imagination of the musicians themselves.

9 CURRENT PARTNERS

Maastricht - Fons Dejong (Director of AINSI – Art Industry Nature Society Innovation and associate of the Theater aan het Vrijthof) - Guido Wevers (commissioner of Maastricht, a candidate town for the title of European Capital of Culture 2018) - Wido Smeets (founder and editor of the monthly cultural magazine Zuiderlucht)

Aix-la-Chapelle - Rick Takvorian (Director of Kulturbetrieb) - Heribert Leuchter (Gesellschaft Für Zeitgenössische Musik Aachen E.V.)

Liège - Paul-Emile Mottard (Permanent Deputy in charge of Culture of the Province of Liège) - Jean-Pierre Hupkens (Deputy Burgomaster of Culture of the City of Liège) - Serge Rangoni (Director of the Théâtre de la Place)

Eupen - René Janssen (Director of Chudoscnik Sunergia)

Welkenraedt - Jean-Pierre Rapaille (Director of Welkenraedt Cultural Centre)

Hasselt : (in progress) - René Géladé (Director of the Cultural Centre)

10 PROJECT LAUNCH: SCHEDULE

Saturday 28 August: Press Première at the A.I.N.S.I. Cultural Centre in Maastricht

After 4 days of rehearsals at the Welkenraedt 11.30: Press conference Cultural Centre which is hosting ViVo! in

12.30: Lunch residence, the musicians are ready. The first stage of the orchestra’s launch has begun. The A.I.N.S.I 1.30: ViVo! Concert Cultural Centre (which is supporting the project) has provided the setting. After a few last minute adjustments, the press conference can begin. This is followed by a buffet lunch. The Liège Article 23 EFT is in charge of delighting our guests’ taste buds. At around 1.30 p.m., ViVo! comes on stage for a private performance for the Press and Belgian and foreign cultural operators. It is all filmed and recorded to be broadcast on the Web and on the radio.

Friday 29 October: Inaugural concert at the Caserne Fonck in Liège

6.30: LO-DB Cocktail Music The famous Caserne Fonck in Liège will host the second stage of the orchestra’s launch 8.45: The Viva ViVo! concert on Friday 29 October. This time the event, 10.30: LO-DB Dance Party which features in the Liège City Culture programme, is not private but public. On the programme, a performance by the entire ViVo! Orchestra: compositions by Emmanuel Bailly, Aurélie Charneux, Garrett List and Emmanuel Louis, amongst others.

11 The doors open at 6.30pm for LO-DB Cocktail Music and the evening will close with a LO-DB Dance Party. You may be wondering what LO-DB is. It is yet another concept invented by Garrett List. LO-DB is a declaration of war against HI-DB which tortures your eardrums. Jazz, improvisation and a touch of the beatnik spirit will be the order of the day.

A promising programme at a price for the people (Adults: 15€, 12 if you buy in advance – Students: 10€ – Article 27: 1.25€)

What’s next?

And afterwards? ViVo! is already forming more and more contacts and actively preparing for future seasons. Application forms are also about to be submitted to the “Education, Audiovisual and Culture” Executive Agency (EACEA) of the European Commission within the framework of the Culture Programme 2007-2013 for financing the 2011- 2012 and 2012-2013 seasons.

ViVo! will endeavour to be where it is not expected. Performing in concert halls and on podiums is one thing, but ViVo! isn’t going to wait for the public to come to it : to link up again with the popular power of music, the orchestra will besiege public places. So don’t be surprised if one fine morning your ears start ringing to the sound of creative music right in the middle of a train station while you are quietly waiting for your train.

12 BEHIND VIVO!, WORLD CITIZENS MUSIC

Founded by Garrett List in 2006, the mission of World Citizens Music is to revitalise and restore the sense of musical creation in today’s world. It World Citizens Music, an aims to promote the creation of a new type of music association for creative which is both skilful and popular, from its composition music through to its performance.

Skilful because it integrates the contribution of European classical music into its composition.

Popular through its deep desire to communicate and touch everyone’s heart.

Among the other targets the association has set itself are creating musical ensembles, organising concerts and supporting emerging talent, but also more generally stimulating Man’s confidence in his own powers of creativity.

World Citizens Music already has to its name a large number of original projects, among which are the cantata “State of Siege” based on a poem by Mahmoud Darwich, the show “Into the Riff” - an exercise where musicians and dancers are out on their own and which depends on the artists trusting and listening to each other, the musical journey “Music for Trees”, the poetic project “DJ Gary’s Beatnik Karaoke”, etc. Not forgetting, of course, the cross-border orchestra ViVo!

13 CONTACT US

WORLD CITIZENS MUSIC NPO 45, rue des Augustins B-4000 Liège +32 (0) 4 232 00 51 www.worldcitizensmusic.com

GARRETT LIST Artistic direction GSM: +32 (0) 496 52 20 84 [email protected]

MARIE-PIERRE LAHAYE General coordination GSM: +32 (0) 498 51 16 91 [email protected]

SOLANGE HUBERTY Administration and accounts GSM: +32 (0) 472 27 10 15 [email protected]

14 ANNEXES – BIOGRAPHIES

GARRETT LIST

Born in 1943, Garrett List is originally from Phœnix, Arizona, and is a composer, performer and teacher. He began his career in New York by getting into the prestigious Julliard School of Music in 1965 as a trombone player. Along with Luciano Berio and Dennis Russell Davies, he formed the Juilliard Ensemble. His musical preferences and attraction to improvisation led him to meet and work with artists such as , John Cage, Rhys Chatham, Anthony Braxton and Steve Lacy. Subsequently, he became an active member of the Musica Eletronica Viva, one of the most influential groups playing improvised music at that time.

In 1971, he was involved in creating Kitchen Center for Video and Music and was appointed musical director. At the same time, he was playing for the Merce Cunningham Ballet Company side by side with his mentor John Cage.

Looking to develop his personal vision of improvised music, List formed his own group in 1975 (the A-1 Art Band) which recorded two records in 1977: “American Images” and “Fire and Ice”. At the same time he put his talent for teaching to use at the Creative Music Studio, a school set up by Karl Berger which aimed to study new music and where Garrett List taught during the Seventies.

15 1981 marked a turning point in his artistic career: on the invitation of Henri Pousseur, he left New York and created the improvisation class at the Royal Academy of Music at Liège (Belgium). Between 1988 and 1991, he was the Director of the Berlin Central Intelligence Orchestra, a big Jazz band, for which he composed a lot of pieces.

Following his arrival on the Old Continent, Garrett List was involved in more and more projects. He regularly performed on tour in Europe and was behind the creation of several groups such as The Real Live Orchestra, The Lion Collective, The Garrett List Ensemble and more recently The International Riffing Society. He recorded several records with these different groups.

As a composer, he produced the music for the show Metropolis, added the soundtrack to the silent films by Man Ray, and created the monumental Music for Trees (1986-1989) as well as a series of cantatas. The music to Rwanda 94 in 2000 is also down to him, the fruit of his collaboration with the engaged director Jacques Delcuvellerie and the Groupov. 2003 saw the success of a huge project started twenty years earlier, namely the cantata In the Heart of the World (based on a text by Blaise Cendrars). In 2005, Garrett List finished composing the cantata State of Siege based on a text by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich.

In 2008, Garrett formed his own non-profit and so World Citizens Music came into being, setting itself the mission of revitalising and restoring the sense of musical creation in today’s world.

Amongst World Citizens Music’s projects was the show Into the Riff. With Into the Riff, an explosive mixture of improvised music and dance, Garrett List teamed up with the choreographer Bud Blumenthal. In so doing, the American virtuoso rekindled a

16 collaboration which had begun about fifteen years earlier and which had given rise to the dance shows Fishtracks, Avna and Tollund.

Today, the creation of the cross-border orchestra ViVo! is just the logical continuation of the founding of World Citizens Music, the materialization of an ambitious, innovative and unifying project, coming straight from Garrett List’s experience, a man who is always searching for new ways of sharing his beliefs and gathering together people and cultures to work in harmony thanks to his passion and his knowledge of music.

It’s a far-reaching project which List has always dreamt of and which has finally become a reality.

17 AURÉLIE CHARNEUX

Aurélie Charneux began playing the clarinet when she was 8 before getting into the Mons then the Liège Music Academy. She finished her studies with a Bachelor of Music in Performance in clarinet and chamber music amongst others and at the same time training in improvised music with and Garrett List. As regards classical music, she has played with the ensemble “New Chamber Music of Liège” and the Royal Opera of Wallonia.

She has also played in the Garrett List Ensemble, and the Sephardic music group Zohara. She is the founder and composer of Klezmic Zirkus, the duo Abysses, and the street performance “Crack Bang Street”. She occasionally plays on soundtracks (short films or shows). As regards improvised music, she belongs to the Bambeen Grey quartet.

EMMANUEL LOUIS

Born in 1981, he flits between the electric and acoustic guitar, singing, composing and arranging.

He learnt the guitar with Jean-Pierre Froidebise and Philippe Doyen, then at the Royal Academy of Music at Liège with Frederic Rzewski, Garrett List, Jean-Pierre Peuvion and Michel Massot. He has performed jazz, the blues, improvisation, singing, rock, experimental music and Zop Hophop with different groups. At the moment, he plays in “All is pretty” and “Garrett List and the riffing society”; he composes and performs music for the duo “We are not flowers” with Anne Gennen, for the eclectic group “The finest orchestra in the world” and for the “Funk Sinatra” sextet. He writes chamber and brassband music for different ensembles and arranges songs.

18 EMMANUEL BAILY

Emmanuel Baily was the first prize-winner at the Royal Academy of Music at Liège in Johan Fostier’s and Luc Vanderborght’s guitar class. He completed his training with a three-year degree course. He taught himself jazz.

Emmanuel then obtained a degree in chamber music under the tuition of Michel Massot, François Deppe, Fabian Fiorini, Jean-Pierre Peuvion and Georges-Elie Octors. He had also just finished a three-year course in improvisation taught by Garrett List. At the same time, he was receiving instruction in improvisation and composition from Fabrizio Cassol.

Emmanuel had also been chosen as composer and improviser to take part in the 5th Dance-Music forum of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) “Point to point – programme” in China in November 2007. This event brought together around twenty choreographer-dancers and composer-improvisers recruited from the whole of Europe and Asia under the direction of four artistic advisers of international calibre: Susan Buirge (USA/ France), Wen Hui (China), Fabrizio Cassol (Belgium/Italy) & Joyce Koh (Singapore) (more information at : asef.org)

In December 2008, he created the show “A New Cartography” in collaboration with the Wang Wei Quartet and the dancer Yiphun Chiem at the Théatre des Doms in Avignon.

Between December 2009 and January 2010, Emmanuel Baily and the Wang Wei Quartet were invited to work once more with the ASEF Foundation on a residence project at the Patravadi Theatre in Bangkok. So they performed in various festivals such as ALL ABOUT ARTS in Ratchaburi and the FRINGE Festival. This experience was captured on film as well as recorded. What’s more, the first record by the Wang Wei Quartet will be released next October on the Home Records label.

19 JAN RZEWSKI

After studying at the Scuola Popolare di Musica di Testaccio (Rome) and at the Music Academies of Perugia in Italy & Liege in Belgium, Jan settled in where he has lived since 1991.

For several years he played with “Back to Normal Big Band” and in the “Koba” quartet. Since then, he has played/been playing with: A. Dagher, K.de Windt, Sonic Youth, M. Hatzigeourgiou, V. Delmelle, M. Banovic, S. Lacy, E. Louis, M. Mengelberg, N. Thys, B. Wierniek, Y. Peters, M. Lenssens, P. Rousseau, M. Marissiaux, A. Curran, R. Teitelbaum, L. Blondiau, A. Prawerman, T. Florizoone, R. abdel Gawad, Arno, C. Broché, G. Coronado, Maxime Lenssens, B. de Jaer, JY Evrard, J. Kowalski, N. Ankoudinoff, B. Maris, J. Derome, I. Da Silveira, H. Bardos, M. Ha, Y. Mora, M. Galo, T. Milton, M. Figuigui, F. Rzewski, A. Schiavi, M. Verrone, D.Tittarelli, L. Rizzo, Q. Manfroy, X. Rogeé, A. Genen, K. Defoort, E. Goldfarb, J.Parmentier, A. Braxton, A.Van Dongen, F. Venerucci, A. Vacca, and more recently with his group “Danza Quartet”, and with Garrett List (Gary & the Riffing Society).

Jan has worked as a composer with the ICTUS Ensemble and with the Orchestra of Flanders, with the latter in the context of a homage to Frank Zappa. He teaches the and music theory at the Jaques Dalcroze Institute of Rhythm in Brussels; Jan has also worked with the “Circus of Sound », the AREAM (school of music therapy), the House of Creation, the Médori (day centre for the disabled), Le Petit Château, the Zinneke Parade (Brussels) and the Athénée Royal Serge Creuz.

In 2007 he played in a duo with the pianist-composer Fabian Fiorini at the Liège Jazz Festival. This collaboration was followed by a tour (in January 2008) in the context of the Jazzlab Series and the release of a CD, “Music for Food”.

20 HERIBERT LEUCHTER

Heribert Leuchter started his musical career at the Musikhochschule Rheinland in Cologne as well as the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Today he is an independent musician, composer, arranger, bandleader and producer. At the heart of his work lie jazz and the styles of music associated with it. He has written many compositions and programmes of all types, which have been awarded many prizes. He also works for the cinema, theatre and radio.

At the head of a label which he launched himself (LUXaries Records), Heribert Leuchter focuses nowadays on his own groups (LUX- Orchester, Heribert Leuchter Trio, Welteroth, Swing.it, Die Perlen, and other projects with ensembles) with whom he goes on international tours.

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