After leaving a classical career as an orchestral musician, Hans Koch made a name for himself as one of the most innovative improvising woodwind players in Europe. Since the eighties, he has worked with many greats, including Cecil Taylor and Fred Frith. As a composer, he shaped the independent sound of the internationally-known trio “Koch-Schütz-Studer”, using electronics, samplings, and computers. As a woodwind player, he has developed a very independent style, which has made him one of the most original wind players on the current scene. Hans has also composed music for radio plays and films. His current touring projects include Porta Chiusa, a clarinet trio with Hans Koch and Michael Thieke.

Lebanese producer Jawad Nawfal created sonic alter-ego Munma in the aftermath of Israel’s war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006 – releasing three albums in quick succession for Lebanese imprint Incognito. In 2012, he started working with Lebanese slam poet El Rass, and the two musicians released two albums exploring the darker sides of rap and hip-hop, reconfiguring the genre to include elements of bass and electronica. Between 2014 and 2016, Munma collaborated with Belgian electronic producer Kirdec on several releases for his label Syrphe. 2016’s “Three Voices” (Ruptured) explored the possibilities of the human voice within an ambient electronic framework. In 2019 Nawfal self-founded label VVVA, as a platform for his impressive collection of unreleased tracks and experimental side projects.

Elyse and Jawad collaborated for the first time on the Ruptured-curated series of recordings “The Drone Sessions”, in November 2020. This performance for Irtijal’21 will be their second live outing.

“Synesthesia” is a live graphic score for improvising ensemble, created and interpreted in real-time. Mazen Kerbaj creates live visuals that are projected on a large screen for the audience to see, and serve as a conduction system for the ensemble of musicians.

The audience sees and hears an abstract movie created in real-time, where neither the images illustrate the music, nor the music is an accompaniment to the images; they rather move together and constantly feed each other (the visuals give a direction to the music that in returns influences the visuals).

This original concept is a contemporary take on many others from the 20th century music and film traditions, including Cornelius Cardew’s “Treatise”, Butch Morris’ conductions, live music for silent movies, surrealists’ experimental movies and modern video art.

Interested in urban sounds and Arabic music, Lebanese musician Abed Kobeissy approaches Beirut’s urban soundscapes as a local aesthetic and a main component of his work: the unique sound of processed Buzuq and drum machine, combined with the musician’s background in traditional Arabic music, takes the sonic, visual and pseudo-political day-to-day that is Beirut and reflects it onto a hyper-realistic soundscape. Kobeissy also composes scores for contemporary dance and theater productions.

Beirut-born guitarist Sharif Sehnaoui specializes in free improvisation and is equally at ease with both the electric and acoustic guitar. By preparing his instruments using specific techniques, he expands their sound spectrum in individual ways, experimenting as well with the percussive qualities of the guitar. Together with improvising musician Mazen Kerbaj, Sehnaoui co-founded Irijal, an experimental music festival that has taken place annually since 2001 in Beirut – the only one of its kind in the Arab world. At home he plays in the “A” Trio and BAO groups, among others.

This first series of commissions went to twelve composers and musicians currently living in Lebanon. Each musician was be provided with the necessary tools to produce a musical work of her/his devising. The sole condition being that the work should be composed, recorded, mixed and produced locally.

We are proud to launch “Istimrar” within Irtijal’21 at Beirut Art Center, where the works of Jad Atoui, Abed Kobeissy, Aya Metwalli, Jawad Nawfal, Julia Sabra, Ghassan Sahhab, Anthony Sahyoun, Jana Saleh, Nour Sokhon Elyse Tabet, Fadi Tabbal and Cynthia Zaven will be finally made available for general listening purposes.