DeutschIncense of Music 71
A multisensory concert – Friday, 27 March 2026, 8 pm
Incense: eucalyptus, dittany
PANDA Platforma in der Kulturbrauerei, Knaackstr. 97, 10435 Berlin
Experience a unique sensory journey that brings together two distinct musical voices in a special double concert. Julia Biłat expands the solo cello format, creating emotional and intense musical structures shaped by cello, body, voice, and movement. Her work moves between improvisation, composition, and performance, in which sound and performative presence merge inseparably. Zuza Jasińska & Simon Jermyn present a dialogue between voice and bass. Zuza, a singer and composer, combines the intimacy of folk-pop with jazzy influences and the uncompromising spirit of experimentation found in improvised music. Her expressive voice meets Simon Jermyn's multi-layered and sensitive bass playing, creating a sound that is both delicate and powerful. A carefully curated incense blend will accompany the auditory journey, deepening the atmosphere of the evening with botanical aromas.
This event is not suitable for people with a sensitivity to smoke.
Artists
Julia Biłat — cello
Julia Biłat – classically trained cellist, improviser, and composer, lives in Berlin and moves between classical music, jazz, performance, and experimental scenes. She performs with the Stegreif.Orchester, Camila Nebbia's The Hanged One, and Fabiana Striffler's Archiotic Quintet. She has composed and co-directed productions for the Stegreif.Orchester (most recently #bechange Hildegard von Bingen, 2022/23). Her solo work combines improvisation, composition, and performance with cello, body, and voice. She has performed at, among others, the Butohpolis Festival (Warsaw), Into The Open (Berlin), and Intermittenze (Catania).
Zuza Jasinska — vocals, effects
"I'm a Berlin-based singer. I write and sing music in styles like folk-pop, jazz, and experimental improvisation. I grew up in Poland, in a town called Toruń, situated on the Vistula and famous for its gingerbread. There's a moment caught on camera when I was still a little kid – my mother says to my father: 'I'm telling you, she's going to sing one day.' And now here we are. I shaped my style by imitating the sounds around me – it got so out of hand that I started calling myself a chameleon. Copy, paste, repeat. I loved it. These days I sound more like myself. I stopped copying, and it's turned out pretty well. That's it for now. I'll add more later."
Simon Jermyn — bass guitar
Simon Jermyn is an Irish guitarist and electric bassist who now lives in Berlin after eleven years in New York City. He leads his own band, Obsany, and is a member of numerous other ensembles. Over the course of his career he has collaborated with the likes of Jim Black, Aaron Parks, John Zorn, Chris Speed, Gerald Cleaver, Chris Lightcap, Anna Webber, and many others. He earned his doctorate at Ulster University in Northern Ireland and has performed on stages and at festivals throughout the US and Europe, including the legendary Village Vanguard.
Incense
Eucalyptus, originally native to the forests of Australia, is a striking, fast-growing, evergreen tree. It is cultivated in warm regions worldwide and is especially known for its long, leathery, often sickle-shaped leaves, which are rich in essential oils. These oils not only give the plant its distinctively fresh, camphor-like scent, but are also the reason for its wide range of uses.
As incense, the dried leaves of eucalyptus unfold their powerful effect as they smoulder. Burning releases a clear, invigorating, minty scent. Burning eucalyptus is traditionally credited with a strongly purifying and clarifying effect on the air and atmosphere of a room. Because of its potency, only a small amount should be burned at a time, and only in well-ventilated rooms. The smoke can be irritating to people with asthma, young children, or pets, so particular caution is advised here.
Dittany, also known as the "burning bush" or "gas plant," is an impressive, rare, and protected perennial native to warm, lime-rich regions of Southern and Central Europe. Botanically, it belongs to the rue family (Rutaceae). It is distinguished by its upright, glandular flower spikes in pink or white and its feathery, lemon-scented leaves. The entire plant is rich in essential oils, which on hot summer evenings can form a cloud-like, flammable atmosphere around the plant – giving rise to its biblically inspired name, the "burning bush."
As incense, dittany is a highly traditional but today rarely used and protected plant. In the past, mainly the dried and crushed roots as well as the seeds were used for burning. The smoke has an intensely aromatic, spicy-tart scent, with a clearer, more lemony to camphor-like note compared to its better-known relative, frankincense. Since antiquity, dittany has been regarded as a powerfully protective and purifying incense.