Incense of Music 55 - Rondo Projects Edition Berlin No. 2

Incense of Music Nr. 55

A multisensory concert – Friday, 24th May 2024, 8 pm.

In its 55th concert Incense of Music is presenting music from Iran. "Rondo Projects takes its name as a testament to a series of collaborative musical endeavors initiated by Ehsan Sadigh, an accomplished composer and guitarist, and Mazyar Younesi, a versatile composer and pianist. Together with the multifaceted percussionist Roshanak Rafani, they embarked on their musical journey in October 2023 in Berlin. Fostering a culture of continuous evolution, each edition of Rondo Projects sees the trio collaborating with diverse musicians and instrumentalists. The inaugural edition featured collaborations with Niki Yaghmaee, a skilled viola player, and Golsana Shenasaei, an adept cello player. In their upcoming Edition Berlin No. 2, the band will meet Ruben Staub, an aspiring Clarinet and Bass Clarinet payer. The music of Rondo Projects is the reflection of the lived musical experience of its members. The group places a significant emphasis on improvisation within the process of composition and on the stage, providing a platform for the musicians to stretch their creativity and explore new dimensions." Incense appeals to one of the most neglected senses in our modern times: the olfactory. It affects the human spirit, influences our perception, and invites new experiences and emotions. These qualities inspire “Incense of Music” to combine this ancient art with music in a synesthetic project and engage the senses. For guests who are particularly sensitive to smoke, this event is not recommended.


Guitar: Ehsan Sadigh
Piano, Voice: Mazyar Younesi
Percussion: Roshanak Rafani
Viola: Niki Yaghmaee
Cello: Golsana Shenasaei
Clarinet, Bass Clarinet: Ruben Staub
Scents: Mastix, Sagapenum

Ehsan Sadigh, 1980, Iran An accomplished Montreal-based artist specializing in guitar and composition, Ehsan Sadigh is a well-established composer, renowned for his contributions to film scores and ensemble performances. With numerous accolades for his musical scores both in Iran and abroad, Ehsan is the founder and leader of the Quartet Diminished, a contemporary jazz band with three albums published by Hermes Records. Collaborating with esteemed musicians like Colin Bass, Tony Levin, and Markus Reuter, their upcoming album, set for release by MoonJune Records in 2024, attests to Ehsan's continuous commitment to musical excellence. As an individual composer and performer, he has collaborated on various albums, including "AX" published by Discordian Records, where he worked alongside Vasco Trilla, a Spanish drummer, and the Barcelona-based saxophonist Liba Villavecchia.

Mazyar Younesi, 1983, Iran A Tehran-based versatile musician engaged in various musical activities, including composition, conducting, piano performance, and countertenor singing. He is a successful composer recognized for his involvement in orchestral and ensemble projects, as well as for his contributions to film and animation scores, which have garnered him several awards. Mazyar possesses a background in Iranian music, demonstrating proficiency with instruments such as Tombak and Setar. Additionally, his academic knowledge spans piano performance and composition. Since 2016, he has held the role of music director and conductor for the Austro-Iranian Symphony Orchestra (AISO). In the realm of contemporary jazz music, Mazyar serves as the composer and pianist for the Quartet Diminished. He has been showcased at the Show of Hands Festival in Iran and Turkey for the years 2017, 2018, and 2023.

Roshanak Rafani, 1994, Iran A multi-dimensional Berlin-based percussionist, Roshanak Rafani's diverse background in both Iranian and Classical music has enabled her to transcend conventional genre boundaries, nurturing her artistic curiosity. Specializing in instruments such as Daf and 2 Tombak, she has showcased her talents internationally, performing solo and as part of ensembles like the Mahbanoo Ensemble. A graduate of percussion performance from the Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin, Roshanak boasts extensive experience performing with esteemed orchestras such as the Austro-Iranian Symphony Orchestra (AISO), Junge Philharmonie Berlin, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin (DKO), and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. In the contemporary music sphere, Roshanak has collaborated with various musicians and ensembles, including the Pierre Boulez Ensemble, Lugano Percussion Ensemble, and Cymin Samawatie.


Incense of Music Nr. 54/ Hayden Chisholm Quartet

Incense of Music Nr. 54

A multisensorial concert- Friday, 17th May 2024, 8 p.m.

Hayden Chisholm, a masterful saxophonist and composer, brings a unique blend of influences to his music, transcending traditional boundaries to create an immersive sonic experience. Drawing inspiration from jazz, classical, folk, and world music traditions, Chisholm's compositions are marked by their depth, emotional resonance, and exquisite craftsmanship. As the protagonist of the 54th concert of the "Incense of Music" series, Chisholm and his quartet promise an evening of musical enchantment like no other. Picture yourself enveloped in a tapestry of rich harmonies, intricate melodies, and soul-stirring rhythms, all woven together with Chisholm's signature style and virtuosity. But the experience doesn't stop there. Just as music has the power to transport us to different realms, so too does scent. Imagine the air infused with fragrances carefully chosen to complement the music, enhancing every note and chord with an extra layer of sensory delight. From the earthy warmth of myrrh to the sweet freshness of rosebay, each scent harmonizes with the music to create a truly multisensory experience. So come, let yourself be carried away on a journey of sound and scent, as Hayden Chisholm and his quartet lead you through an evening of great sounds and beautiful fragrances. It's a concert you won't want to miss, a celebration of music and sensory wonder that will leave you spellbound long after the final note has faded away. For guests who are particularly sensitive to smoke,this event is not recommended.


Hayden Chisholm: saxophone, sruti box
Musicians of the quartet to be announced
Scents: myrrh and rosebay
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei,
Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin

Born in Auckland and raised in New Plymouth, Hayden Chisholm has risen to become one Europe’s most distinctive and innovative voices on the saxophone.His parents encouraged him to start with piano at the age of eight and clarinet two years later. His first saxophone experience came playing with the local school and Dixieland bands. At the age of seventeen he moved to Switzerland and soon after began his music studies in Germany. After studying in Cologne with a DAAD scholarship he continued his music studies in Japan in India. His compositions have been recorded by BBC and WDR radios and he has toured extensively worldwide as a soloist. He has created music for the installations of seminal artist Rebecca Horn as well as composing music for the acclaimed film “Moon Mirror Journey” . He is credited with developing a new microtonal language for saxophone in the mid 90′s. In 2011 he launched the Moontower Foundation Music edition.

Incense of Music Nr. 53 - Nebbia, Parkins

Incense of Music Nr. 53

A multisensorial concert- Friday, 9th February 2023, 8 p.m.

Incense of Music is back with a highly experimental concert by a trio with Camila Nebbia, Andrea Parkins and a surprise guest.

Andrea Parkins: electronically processed accordion, amplified objects, and laptop electronics.
Camila Nebbia: tenor saxophone
Incense: Copal and Juniper
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei,
Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin

Parkins & Nebbia, both Berlin-based musicians will perform with a surprise guest at a concert of free improvised music. Performing for the first time live, their music is characterized by its boundless exploration and experimentation. Incense appeals to one of the most neglected senses in our modern times olfactory. It affects the human spirit, influences our perception, and invites new experiences and emotions. These qualities inspire “Incense of Music” to combine this ancient art with music in a synesthetic project and engage the senses. For guests who are particularly sensitive to smoke,this event is not recommended.

 

Andrea Parkins

Born: Pittsburgh, USA Lives: Berlin www.andreaparkins.com 

Andrea Parkins is an electroacoustic musician, composer, and sound artist who engages with interactive electronics as compositional/performative process. Working with an array of sonic materials – electronically processed accordion, custom-built software, amplified objects, and electronic feedback – her performances and installations explore connections and slippages between the body, materiality, sound, site, and space.

Parkins’ projects include multi-channel sound performances and intermedia installations, electroacoustic solo and ensemble compositions; and sound for contemporary dance, experimental film and intermedia performance. She performs as a solo artist, and has collaborated with artists such as Ute Wassermann, Magda Mayas, George E. Lewis, Nels Cline, The Necks, choreographer Vera Mantero, and filmmaker Abigail Child, among others. Her performances and installations have been presented at venues such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, Café Oto, The Kitchen, Experimental Intermedia (NYC), Kunsthalle Basel, and Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, Strasbourg. Festival appearances have included NEXT/Bratislava, Cyberfest/St. Petersburg, All Ears/Oslo, Jazz im Augusto/Lisbon, Music Unlimited/Wels, and many more.

Parkins’ recent projects include The Stray II, a site-responsive 8-channel spatial audio and visual installation that was featured at Momentum 12/The Nordic Biennale at Galleri F15 in Moss, Norway; her intermedia installation, Sonic Spaces for the Stray, presented in 2021 at ROM for kunst og arkitektur in Oslo; and her performance/installation, Two Rooms, Variation 1, for 40 loudspeakers and Solo Performer, premiered in 2016 at Akousma Festival in Montreal.

Andrea Parkins has been an invited resident artist at Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, Florida; Elektronmusikstudion (EMS), Stockholm; Harvestworks Digital Media Arts Center (NYC); and by Frei und Hanseastadt Hamburg Kulturbehoerde. Her recordings are published by Important Records, Infrequent Seams, Confront Recordings, Atavistic, Henceforth Records and Creative Sources; and she can be heard as a contributor on numerous other labels. In 2022-2023, she is a fellow of the Berliner Förderprogramm Künstlerische Forschung / Berlin Artistic Research Grant Programme.

Recent Press:

“Sounding Objects: Andrea Parkins Interviewed by Lea Bertucci: Expanding Notions of Composition” Bomb Magazine (6 May 2022). https://bombmagazine.org/articles/andrea- parkins-interviewed/

“11+3 Interview with Andrea Parkins.” Digital in Berlin (August 2020,) https://www.digitalinberlin.de/andrea-parkins

Camila Nebbia

Camila Nebbia is a saxophone player, composer, improviser, visual artist, curator and educator debasing hierarchical systems by exploring counterpoints of migrational longing through multiple, but minimally separated, mediums. From Buenos Aires, Argentina, based in Berlin, Germany, the multidisciplinary artist layers her practice through the creation and destruction of archival memory.

Has released as a band leader and solo performer “A veces la luz de lo que existe resplandece solamente a la distancia” (Kuai 2017), “De este lado” (Club del disco 2019), Aura (ears&eyes records 2020),“Corre el río de la memoria” (ramble records 2021) and “Presencias” (Sound Holes 2021) “Una ofrenda a la ausencia” (Relative Pitch Records 2023).

Played and recorded with many artists of the international scene such as Valentin Garvie, El devenir del río, Burka, Paula Shocron, Barbara Togander, Patrick Shiroishi, Paul Pignon, Vinnie Sperrazza, Katt Hernandez, Kenneth Jimenez, Lesley Mok, Violeta García, Axel Filip, Susana Santos Silva, Tom Rainey, Elsa Bergman, l’ Arfi collective of Lyon, Joanna Mattrey, Micheal Formaneck, Vincent Dromowski’s Flow regulator, Sofia Borges, John Hughes, among others.

Co-creator and curator of the collective interdisciplinary group and improvised music series “La Jaula se ha vuelto pájaro y se ha volado”, the interdisciplinary festival “Guillotina Fest'' and creator and curator of the streaming concert series called “The warmth of proximity” and “A door in the mountain”. Runs the concert series and independent label “Disfigured Rivers” based in Berlin.

Participated of many festivals around the world such as Winter Jazz Fest NYC co-presented with M3 (U.S), Buenos Aires Jazz Festival (ARG), Lima Jazz Festival (PE), Diskurs Festival (DE), Ultima Oslo (NO), Saalfelden Jazz Festival (AT), among others, and has assisted to several residencies such as, ART OMI (NYC), SIM (NYC) Jazz & Creative Music dictated by Tyshawn Sorey and Vijay Iyer (CA), Konvent Zero (ES) UNCOOL (CH), Ensemble Evolution (US), CirkusVranen (SE), CCK with Tim Berne, Marilyn Crispell & Ben Goldberg (AR), among others. 

Studied classical saxophone at the Conservatory "Astor Piazzolla", jazz at the "Manuel de Falla" Conservatory, Film Direction at the Universidad Del Cine, and the master degree program “CoPeCo Contemporary Performance and Composition at Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre in Estonia, Royal College of Music in Stockholm in Sweden, National Superior Conservatory of Music Dance of Lyon in France and Hamburg University of Music and Theatre in Germany.  Was part of the second cohort of Mutual Mentorship for Musicians M3 created by Jen Shyu & Sara Serpa 2021, and was a curatorial fellow at the Experimental Sound Studio of Chicago 2022. Camila Nebbia is endorsed by D’Addario Woodwinds.

https://www.camilanebbia.com/

https://camilanebbia.bandcamp.com/


Incense of Music Nr. 52 - Shilkloper, Minami

Incense of Music Nr. 52

A multisensory concert – Saturday, 27. November 2021, 6 p.m.

Arkady Shilkloper: French horn, didgeridoo; Kenji Minami: drums – Fabio Dondero (Incense burning): White sage

Due to the corona problematic, Incense of Music is proposing in this difficult times concerts of rather private nature via stream. Kenji Minami, drummer from Japan, met the Russian horn virtuoso Arkady Shilkloper for a improvised jam session. We prepared the room with White sage.

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Incense of Music 51, Rafalimanana: Debussy

Incense of Music Nr. 51

A multisensorial concert – Saturday, 26th June 2021, 8 p.m.

Yannick Rafalimanana, piano – Fabio Dondero and Dominik Breider (Incense burning): Palo Santo

 

Welcome to the 4th concert of the series Yannick and Friends.
For this event it is my pleasure to introduce my co-host: "Incense of Music" project based in Berlin.
Incense appeals to one of the most neglected senses in our modern times-the olfactory. It affects the human spirit, influences our perception, invites new experiences and emotions. These qualities inspire "Incense of Music" to combine this ancient art with music in a synesthetic project and engage the senses. Incense, that has been a part of many cultures for centuries, certainly elevates and enhances any human experience.
I have been working with the "Incense of Music" team on live performances in the past, but you are invited to join our very first digital collaboration.
For this special occasion I selected Piano works by Debussy, the ever so inspiring impressionist masterpieces that will take you to the most remote corners of the world, awaken your imagination and create a fantastical and immersive world for you to enjoy at home.
For a full experience we encourage you to prepare in advance by finding an incense you like, and if you need help, the "Incense of Music" team will gladly advise you further personally, feel free to reach out.
The concert has been professionally recorded for a great audio-visual experience.
I will be performing on a Historical 1896 Bechstein Piano.
Please reserve your ticket on the following link :
See you there