Previous Grantees

2022

Creative Grants

EXTENSIO – L’après-midi d’un Bot 

New creation by Hélène Breschand (FR), Elliott Sharp (USA) 

The objective is to record an album of about ten new songs, of which they are currently finishing the writing of the texts; they will first record in France, in Paris, at the Campus studio, with Hélène Breschand, Floy Krouchi and Elliott Sharp, in June, then in NYC, to finalize the project with Zafer Tawil. At each meeting, public dates will be possible in public places, but without specific dates yet (projects in prisons, in particular).

Epsilon Spires – Commissioning and Recording New Works in French Electroacoustic Music 

New creation by François J. Bonnet (Stage Name: Kassel Jaeger) (FR), Éliane Radigue, (FR). 

During his residency, Bonnet will compose new music to perform at Epsilon Spires at the conclusion of his visit. This live performance will be recorded and released as an album in collaboration with a local record label, which will add to Bonnet’s body of work and create documentation of his performance at Epsilon Spires that can continue to be heard around the world. Each album cover will be uniquely screen printed with a design by Bonnet in order to create albums that are themselves works of art. Through Bonnet’s residency, Epsilon Spires endeavors to spark cultural exchange between Brattleboro and France, as well as illuminate French contributions to sonic exploration. 

Beyond This Point Performing Arts Association NFP – Dreams, and why not? 

New creation by Beyond This Point (ensemble) (USA); Adam Rosenblatt (Beyond This Point) (USA), John Corkill (Beyond This Point) (USA), François Sarhan – France & Germany (USA), Jennifer Torrence – Norway (USA) 

The overall goal of the project is to extend the French/American collaboration between François Sarhan and Beyond This Point by creating a new 60-minute music-theater performance (Dreams, and why not?), and by developing several pedagogical activities around music theater, and post-instrumental practice. The material of Dreams, and why not? will range from body percussion, action theater, chamber music, stories taken from Soviet absurdist author Daniil Harms, and the Music Encyclopaedia from François Sarhan, all mixed in an original and fluid manner: texts come and go, music intervenes, and is merged with its own description. 

Gray Area Foundation of the Arts – NACHT 

New creation by Franck Vigroux (FR), Antoine Schmitt (FR), Loic Varanguien de Villepin (FR) 

The artists will stay at the studios and near the venue (Gray Area Foundation) for several days research (minimum 7) , rehearsal and development. At the end of the period they will world premiere the new work NACHT at the opening of the 2023 Recombinant Festival. During this period Gray Area will organize a lecture, one workshop and a master class with the artists. Their other partners will be the University of Santa Cruz Film and Digital Media Department, and the Gray Area Arts Foundation Incubator program. 

The Jazz Gallery – Reverso reimagines Lili Boulanger, A Composition and Recording Project  

New Creation by Frank Woeste (FR), Vincent Courtois (FR), Ryan Keberle (USA) 

This project looks to foster the musical relationships between the three artists of Reverso who have developed an undeniable and remarkable musical chemistry with each other since the ensemble’s founding in 2016, thanks in part to a French American Jazz Exchange grant that same year. This musical collaboration will draw inspiration from the often overlooked yet seminal French composer, Lili Boulanger, and the musical content and techniques employed in her composition, “Nocturne for Violin and Piano”. Inspired by their analysis and research Mr. Woeste, Mr. Courtois, and Mr. Keberle will compose nine original musical works incorporating improvisational practices followed by the rehearsal, performance and recording of those works. The project will culminate in the release of a full length audio recording along with accompanying music videos. This recording, and its subsequent release on the French record label, Phonoart Productions, will then provide the foundation to schedule subsequent live performances of the newly created original works throughout Europe and North America. 

La Compagnie Nine Spirit – Music is my field 

New Creation by Raphaël Imbert (FR), Alban Moraud (FR), Régis Michel (FR)  

Main guest artists : John Boutté (USA), Sarah Quintana (USA) Dwight Andrews (USA) Art Rosenbaum (USA), Cary Fridlay (USA), Jon Stickley (USA)  

The artist will return on the road of his past explorations and future encounters through a program of four filmed recording sessions with the most emblematic artists of these burgeoning aesthetics. The outcome is an album, a documentary, a podcast, and then a tour program in the USA and Europe. In the framework of the creation process of ‘Music is my Field’ (2023 season), the artist will intend to solidify his encounters by organizing two residencies with the artists on site, and thus by filming a documentary. “On the field” will also be the occasion of an original discographic and editorial publication. In a third phase (2024),the company will organize a tour in the United States and in Europe in order to present a ‘transmedia’ work (both in person and digital), along with an academic tour of “Jazz Suprême” (Supreme Jazz), a book written by Raphael Imbert and published in French in 2014 and which will be translated as part of the ‘Music is my Field’ project.  

Association musique et libellule – Paul Lay – Ingrid Jensen Group  

New Creation by Paul Lay (FR), Clemens Van der Feen (Holland), Ingrid Jensen (USA), Nicole Glover (USA), Kendrick Scott (USA)  

The two main goals are to allow the unprecedented meeting between five musicians and to write a series of original compositions. The idea is to play 4-5 concerts on the American continent and then record an album. They already have some leads for possible engagements in different places in New York, and also in Washington: – FIAF (Alliance Française de New York) ; French House of Columbia University ; Small’s jazz club ; Maison Française de Washington DC. In addition, they could organize meetings at the universities, at the alliance française, for workshops and Masterclasses, allowing for fertile exchanges, and constructive meetings and conversations to raise awareness about the challenges and meaning of jazz today, including women and gender in jazz. 

Les Passantes – Lilt project  

New Creation by Josh Hari (USA), Cale Hawkins (USA), Marie Davy (FR), Tiss Rodriguez (FR) 

The project will unfold in three phases: a writing residency in Normandie, then the recording of the project itself, split between Paris and New York, and then filming 3 live performances to best represent the real time exploration of these sonic spaces. The short residency will take place in July in Normandie, France, and reunite the four musicians, to write and start recording demos of the music. It will end by a concert and workshop with the orchestre de l’école primaire Louis Pergaud in Pontorson, France. Between August and September, the album will be recorded, both in Paris and in New York through different studio sessions. In November, the group will meet in New York, and record 3 live videos at the Greylock studio in Brooklyn. 

Issue Project Room – Leila Bordreuil and Luke Stewart present New Works for Feedback Ensemble with Nina Garcia 

New creation by Leila Bordreuil (French artist, based in USA) Luke Stewart (USA), Nina Garcia (FR) Feedback Ensemble (Based in USA) 

Their project is the development and presentation of site-specific New Works for Feedback Ensemble by Brooklyn-based, French cellist/composer Leila Bordreuil and American bassist/composer Luke Stewart. Described by Bordreuil and Stewart as “an exercise in non-dogmatic composition,” the project will invite contributions by a diverse group of artists working with audio feedback, including emerging Parisian guitarist Nina Garcia. A final performance in May 2023 will be situated in an outdoor public space, and will facilitate the US debut of Garcia’s work. 

Touring Grants

The Bridge – Temple of enthusiasm 

Marvin Tate (vocals, poetry) – USA ; Gerrit Hatcher (tenor saxophone) – USA ; Erwan Keravec (bagpipes) – France ; Lia Kohl (cello) – USA ; Gaspar Claus (cello) – France 

This project will be developed in collaboration with The Bridge and its network. This project will take place in two steps: for the first 14 days, a mix of touring and residency in Chicago (with two incursions to Milwaukee and Madison, WI), and 2 days of touring in the larger Midwest. There are two mini-residency components: one with the University of Chicago, which will include multiple outreach activities in classes of the Music Department, culminating with a performance followed by a public discussion at the Logan Center for the Arts. The second will take place at Experimental Sound Studio where the musicians will be able to record, work with the archives fund. The usual presenting partners of The Bridge all across the city have confirmed their participation: Experimental Sound Studio, Constellation, the Hideout, Pro Musica, the Whistler, The Stony Island Arts Bank, The Promontory, The DuSable Museum, Woodland Pattern in Milwaukee, Art Lib Lab in Madison. Solo shows will be organized to introduce the French musicians to local audiences and raise their profile. During the time in Chicago, there will be numerous outreach activities with The Bridge’s partners, for the educational side. Finally, for the Midwest tour, the usual partners of the network will be solicited to host this ensemble.

Muzzix – Sakina Abdou Solo 

New Creation by Sakina Abdou (FR) 

Sakina Abdou wishes to take advantage of the release of her album on the American label Relative Pitch Record in 2022 to confront herself to the American music scene. Her first solo tour experience in the USA will be an opportunity for her to mature her musical proposal, to open up and grow artistically. She will discover the New York and Chicago music scene through meetings and sharing of sets during her solo gigs and begin to build a network. She will also get to meet with the avant-garde community of Relative Pitch Records in preparation for the release of a second album. In addition to the solo gig, meetings with musicians from the avant-garde scene will take place in the different cities. The solo gigs will be interspersed with co-headliners with musicians from the active avant-garde scene in the cities in which they take place. 

EIC US Tour 2023 

New creation by Ensemble intercontemporain (FR) 

From March 23 to April 1st, 2023, the Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) returns to the United States – and for the first time to Texas and Miami – on a tour that will lead its musicians to the Shepherd School of Music in the framework of DACAMERA’s season, to the Carnegie Hall in New York and to Miami for a series of 4 concerts and school programs with the young generation. Conducted by their Music Director Matthias Pintscher, the Ensemble’s soloists will perform some eclectic programmes that present a wide range of the contemporary repertoire: leading composers as Arnold Schönberg, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Boulez, Olga Neuwirth and some iconic works written by Matthias Pintscher. During this tour, EIC will collaborate for the first time with the New World Symphony that prepares graduates of music programs for leadership roles in professional orchestras and ensembles. It will also collaborate with the Juilliard School and will propose to its students several masterclasses and workshops.

Ecce Ensemble

New Creation by Ecce Ensemble, USA ; Raphaele Biston, France ; Manon Lepauvre, France ; Sanae Ishida, France, Sophie Lacaze, France.

Their goal is to bring the music of these four emerging French composers to various U.S. audiences. Their agenda is as follows: rehearsals, January 10 – Feb. 2, 2023 ; Feb. 3. afternoon presentation at Clark University and evening Performance at Clark University’s Daniels Theater ; Feb 4. evening performance at the Bombyx Center for Arts and Equity, Northampton, MA ; Feb 5. afternoon presentation and reception at the Greenwich House, New York and evening performance at the Greenwich House, New York.

Nameless Sound – Raymond Boni & Joe McPhee – Texas/Louisiana Tour 

Raymond Boni – France ; Joe McPhee – USA

The rare revival of a five decade long collaboration will take these two artists to four different cities in the region. On April 26 2023, the two will perform at the ElDorado Ballroom, the most important historic venue for African-American music in Houston. On April 27, they will travel to Austin, Texas to perform for the Epistrophy Arts organization at The Boyd Vance Theater. On April 28, a concert at Dallas bookstore/venue Wild Detectives will be the first time for either artist to ever play in that city. On April 28, Minicine will host the first ever appearance by either artist in Shreveport, Louisiana. The duo will perform compositions from their classic repertoire, including pieces such as Voices and Dreams, as well as new works and free improvisations. Arriving in Houston on April 24th, Boni and McPhee will give workshops in two of Nameless Sound’s Creative Music Communities sites on April 25. A workshop for band students will happen at Sterling High School, and a session for refugee children in the Kijana Youth Program will happen in the afternoon. In Austin, a workshop and performance for the children at The Discovery School will happen on the morning of April 28.

lovemusic – lovemusic in the USA 

New creation by collective lovemusic (FR)

lovemusic’s debut USA tour aims to offer American audiences the opportunity to hear this French collective perform repertoire they have been developing in France, including the US premiere of 5 of the 6 pieces in the programme. The programme includes works by young American composers familiar to the US public but as yet not played in the States as well as three female composers lovemusic have worked with recently : Paris-based Michelle Agnes and Noriko Baba and a new piece by Malin Bång which has been commissioned by France Musique for lovemusic as part of Anne Montaron’s acclaimed radio programme “Création mondiale” which will air a few weeks prior to the tour – providing a great opportunity to promote the outstanding work of France’s foremost classical music radio station. The programme is also emblematic of the diverse community lovemusic have collaborated with, including works by cis-male and female and non-binary composers,representation of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as a diverse spectrum of ethnic and cultural backgrounds including Black, Asian, Latin-American and European representation. The tour aims to encourage the generation of new composers, sharing the collective’s wealth of specialised knowledge, premiering a further 11 new pieces by composers at Brandeis and Harvard University. The festival NienteForte also has strong community links and lovemusic with undertake masterclasses at Tulane University and a panel discussion with local artists in April 2023.

ONJ – Orchestre National de Jazz – Ex Machina 

Frédéric Maurin, Steve Lehman, Jérôme Nika, Jonathan Finlayson, Chris Dingman + 12 musicians of ONJ – Orchestre National de Jazz

Conceived by the composer and saxophonist Steve Lehman from New York with Frédéric Maurin, in close collaboration with Ircam, EX MACHINA explores brand-new directions in music: for the first time, this programme develops the possibilities of real-time interaction between instrumentalists and machines at the heart of a jazz orchestra. With its new creation the ONJ, in coproduction with Ircam, proposes a voyage through soundscapes that haven’t been heard before, a journey imagined with a musician who symbolises the most vivid and daring inventions that today’s jazz has to offer. Performances will take place on : September 30th, 2022 at National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NYC / in partnership with Ircam and the New York University, opening concert of “Forum Ircam” ; October 2nd, 2022 at Princeton University ; October 4th, 2022 at Boot and Saddle, in partnership with Ars Nova Workshop, Philadelphia. Some master-class will take place, in partnership with the New York University, during the Ircam “Forum”.

2021

Creative Grants

THINK BIG

Think Big
New creation by Raphaël Quenehen (FR), Thibault Cellier (FR), Mike Reed (USA), Ben Lamar Gay (USA)

Think Big is an unprecedented quartet with the air of a libertarian manifesto that shoots up from experimental ground. Double bassist Thibault Cellier and saxophonist Raphaël Quenehen developed a relationship for 18 years within the artist collective “Les Vibrants Défricheurs” and the band “Papanosh”. Standing with them in this quartet are Mike Reed, drummer, composer and hyper-activist on the Chicago scene as well as member of the AACM, and Ben Lamar Gay, his long-time partner, a trumpetist and multi-instrumentalist coming from the same galaxy. Think Big will be a perpetual musical de-liberation exploring two ways of playing as a collective. The music is thought of as a patchwork of musical pictures, a post-modern and contemporary look at jazz history – as an emancipatory artistic language. Compositions will be brought by the four musicians, and improvisation will be the joyful link between those pieces. The stage is a playground, a place to let the audience both witness and contribute to creation.

The Bridge #2.04

The Bridge #2.04
New creation by Morgane Carnet (FR), Jozef Dumoulin (FR), Fanny Lasfargues (FR), Damon Locks (USA), Macie Stewart (USA)

This project seeks to form an asymmetrical group, where the apparent instrumental imbalance would reveal other, more fragile and adventurous balances. These five unfettered spirits, who have never played together before, are gathered under one imperative: an immediate readiness to explore a musical territory where everything is possible. The group features one of Chicago’s most renowned poets and visual artists, an up-and-coming violinist and guitarist, and a new generation of French musicians: a flamboyant saxophonist, an atypical and irreverent bassist, a keyboard player of purity and density. It’s the art of improvisation at its most surprising, the invention of fantastic territories.

Emel Mathlouthi – Shouka

MRA
New Creation by Emel Mathlouthi (USA), Marie Davy (USA), Katel (FR), Lara Sarkissian (USA), Rui Ho (CH), Lyzza (BR)

MRA is Emel Mathlouthi’s 5th album and a collaboration between her and a group of daring female artists and music producers from France, the US and beyond. This album is a bold and unique journey into feminism, cultural exchange and inclusion. This album is a powerful adventure to connect voices from minority communities within the minority group of female music producers. Working with women from diverse backgrounds and the LGBTQ community, Emel pursues a unique level of artistry, both musically and on a human level. Through powerful songs, she relates the poignant stories of men and women, targets of invisible violence and abuse, to pay tribute to them and support a vision of repair and healing.

Ensemble I Giardini

Only Shaw
New commission to composer Caroline Shaw (USA) / Ensemble I Giardini: 5 musicians with David Violi and Pauline Buet, artistic directors (FR)

Only Shaw is an ambitious monographic project birthed by Ensemble I Giardini. It aims to expose French audiences to the musical universe of US composer Caroline Shaw, a major young female artist whose rich work promises to be just as relevant tomorrow as it is today. The project develops in three phases: a commission and world premiere of a new work in partnership with leading French festival Musica; a French tour of 5 monographic concerts presenting this world premiere alongside two European premieres and a possible US-Canada tour; and a recording of the 6 pieces of the program including the commissioned work.

Le Grand Orchestre de Muzzix

Radiolarians – Michael Pisaro
A new commission to composer Michael Pisaro (USA), Le Grand Orchestre de Muzzix (FR)

Radiolarians is a piece by Michael Pisaro commissioned by the Grand Orchestre de Muzzix, an orchestra of varying size. The ensemble will perform the work in an immersive concert, in which the audience will be surrounded by some 50 musicians. The piece has an uncommon written score: it consists of transcriptions of radiolarians drawn in E. Haeckel’s book Die Radiolarien (1862). Pisaro created a graphic score with elements from 14 of those drawings: each one becomes a musical entity made up of various rhythmic and melodic patterns determined by its skeletal form. Because these zooplanktons lived in the primordial sea, the composer chose water as a key component of the piece. Noise elements symbolize the water throughout the entire work, while the musical radiolarians appear and disappear, alone or in groups.

Céline Bonacina

Mirror
A new creation by Céline Bonacina (FR), Rachel Eckroth (USA), Chris Jennings (FR), John Hadfield (FR)

Saxophonist Celine Bonacina will collaborate with American pianist, keyboardist, singer and composer Rachel Eckroth to create an original repertoire, to be recorded and then presented in concert. She will include in this project two other musicians of North American origin, residing in France: Chris Jennings (Canadian double bassist, composer, sound effect creator), and John Hadfield (American percussionist, drummer, composer, noise maker). The project draws inspiration from American jazz fusion to compose original music using both acoustic and technological resources. The purpose is to make this concept continue to evolve through a Franco-American dialogue, 30 years after jazz fusion first came into being.

ISSUE Project Room, Inc.

Annabelle Playe: Ad Astra
New commission to composer Annabelle Playe (FR)

Ad Astra is a new work by multidisciplinary French artist Annabelle Playe, commissioned by Issue Project Room. The piece is part of the With Womens Work series, commissioning artists to interpret and respond to scores included in Womens Work, a magazine first edited and self-published in 1975 by Alison Knowles and Annea Lockwood. In the commission, Playe composes with modulars, reverbs, a compressor, a MFB Synth II and a polyphonic synthesizer to create a series of pieces with variable durations. This creation takes the format of an electroacoustic piece which was presented as a free, pre-recorded event available to stream on ISSUE’s website and Vimeo page as part of ISSUE’s expansive Winter/Spring 2021 Season.

Matthew Teodori – Line upon line percussion

Pensée glissante, a new work by Elsa Biston
New commission to composer/performer Elsa Biston (FR), Adam Bedell, Cullen Faulk, Matthew Teodori (USA) 

The project consists of the creation and performance of Pensée glissante, a new evening-length work for line upon line, created by and performed with French composer Elsa Biston. It explores various relationships between the four musicians, from guided improvisation to more precise composition, mixing oral and written transcription. One feature of Elsa’s recent work, to be further explored in this new piece, is the utilization of transducers to send collections of sine wave patterns through various percussion instruments, which act as amplifiers.

Théo Girard

MOBKE
A new creation by Théo Girard (FR) (Compagnie Discobole’s associate artist), Sophia Domancich (FR), Nick Lyons (USA), TBA (USA)

Théo Girard, double bassist from Paris, is the initiator and artistic director of the project. His idea is to form a Franco-American jazz quartet with a man and a woman residing in the USA and a man and a woman residing in France. The musical influences will be Lennie Tristano, Warne Marsch and Lee Konitz, for the beauty of their melodies and the freedom in their improvisations. The French female jazz musician Sophia Domancich, an internationally renowned pianist will form the French duo with Théo Girard. A second female jazz musician forming the American duo with Nick Lyons is yet to be chosen.

Residency grants

Ensemble 2e2m

Re-imagining The Global Latin American Composer
Ensemble 2e2m (FR), Composers – Latin America and Caribbean, including NYC-based Alyssa Regent from Guadeloupe

Americas Society is partnering with Festival Nueva Opera de Buenos Aires, the Centro de Experimentación del Teatro Colón and Fundación Williams to invite musicians from French ensemble 2e2m to rehearse and perform newly commissioned works by Latin American and Caribbean composers, including Alyssa Regent from Guadeloupe. The project aims to expand the professional and aesthetic development of young and innovative music creators in Latin America. Over one week, musicians will rehearse the final version of the new works, hold a masterclass with students at Hunter College and the Graduate Center-CUNY, and present the world premiere of the new works during a concert at AS, as part of Music of the Americas Concert Series. The public events will be recorded and shared on Americas Society’s social media platforms.

Yohan Giaume

French Opera House Project
New creation by Yohan Giaume (FR), Evan Christopher (US), David Torkanowsky (US), Roland Guerin (US), Herlin Riley (US), Tristan Liehr and Louis-Jean Perreau (FR), Emmanuel François (FR), Thomas Ravez (FR) and Chuck Perkins (US) 

French Opera House Project is a multidisciplinary creation combining a virtual performance space rendered in 3D with live musical performances. The opera house was a historically important venue in 19th century New Orleans that hosted an international community of artists and a rich legacy of exchange between French and American cultures. A century after its destruction, a different disaster–a global pandemic–threatens cultural activity worldwide. This project proposes a creative and ambitious response to the COVID-19 crisis by offering a virtual cultural center in which artists can collaborate and perform. It celebrates the close ties between France and Louisiana, offers an immersive, historically informed experience to audiences, and independent of pandemic-related concerns, represents a powerful model for experiencing live performances.

Ensemble Reverso

Chamber Jazz Residency with Reverso at Hunter College of CUNY
Ensemble Reverso (FR), Frank Woeste (FR), Vincent Courtois (FR), Ryan Keberle (USA)

Hunter College, one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, and a leader within the New York City public university system for the study of the Performing Arts, will present the French-American chamber jazz ensemble, Reverso, in a series of performances and workshops for a variety of audiences via both virtual and in-person activities. This “chamber jazz” residency will look to move past the differences that have separated jazz and classical pedagogy for generations while developing strategies that build on the shared languages, performance practices, repertoire, people, history, social and cultural movements, and other yet unknown similarities between the two musical worlds.

City Parks Foundation

Thaïs Lona with The Revive Big Band at SummerStage 2022
Thaïs Lona (FR), The Revive Big Band (USA)

SummerStage is NYC’s largest free outdoor performing arts festival. In summer 2022, SummerStage will welcome a week-long residency for French soul-rap-R&B artist Thaïs Lona to collaborate with NY-based jazz ensemble The Revive Big Band (RBB), culminating in a performance at their mainstage in Central Park. RBB will work remotely with Thaïs in early 2022 to rearrange her songs for their big band. Her NY residency will include 4 days of rehearsals with RBB at Michiko Studios, one of which will be open to the public, and a free masterclass at SummerStage.

Philippe Ollivier

Electroacoustic improvisations with Logelloop
New creation by Composer Philippe Ollivier (FR) with the Laptop Orchestra of the University of Iowa (USA)

The School of Music at the University of Iowa has invited composer Philippe Ollivier for a residency at the University of Iowa. The residency will include rehearsals, performances, music creation, and instruction on the Logelloop software. The residency will end with a live recording of a concert featuring the Laptop Orchestra at the University of Iowa (undergraduate and graduate students), assistant professor Jean-François Charles and guest artist Philippe Ollivier. A second concert will take place in Iowa City, to reach a different community and artists in the city. The laptop orchestra is an ensemble gathering open-minded musicians whose shared goal is to create and perform new works mixing traditional/classical instruments and live electronics, with any proportion of written music and improvisation.

Touring Grant

Franck Vigroux

Dodécaèdre / the island
New creation by Franck Vigroux (live electronics) (FR), Ulrich Krieger (saxophone) (USA)

Franck Vigroux and Ulrich Krieger will present a new piece for electronics and amplified-processed saxophone, which will be performed in a minimum of 4 cities right after a short residency at CalArts in L.A in spring of 2022. If the tour is not possible because of the pandemic, they will work on a video to stream the performance online on each venue’s social media platform and website. CalArts will give access to rehearsal, recording, electronic and analog synth studios for the duration of the residency. During this time, Franck Vigroux will perform his new audiovisual concert The Island in San Francisco. 

2020

Creative Grants

Grossman Ensemble – Frédéric Durieux – Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago (CCCC)

Grossman Ensemble Spring 2021 Workshops & Concert
New Commission to Frédéric Durieux (FR) by the Grossman Ensemble (US) which will be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni (US)

French Composer Frédéric Durieux has been invited by the Grossman Ensemble and the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition at the University of Chicago, to collaborate on a concert cycle and create a new work for this ensemble that will be performed at the Logan Center for the Arts (to be conducted by Vimbayi Kaziboni) . Over the course of short residencies, he will  present his work to students and fellow composers as part of seminars or workshops.

Jacques Schwarz-Bart

Soné Ka-La 2
New creation by Jacques Schwarz-Bart (US-FR) with Malika Tirolien (Canada), Sonny Troupé (FR), Gregory Privat (FR); Reggie Washington (US); and Arnaud Dolmen (FR)

The project is for saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart to record and tour his album “Soné Ka-La 2”, as well as spark various educational projects. Residencies will take place in Porquerolles Jazz Fest, Okayama Jazz Fest, PapJazz, Berklee College of Music in Boston, and clinics in Paris, Bordeaux, and Miami. Sone Ka La 2 Odyssey‘s main innovation is to fuse the singing and the saxophone into one voice, carrying the melodies, might they be tumultuous, angular, mysterious or serene.

Christophe Panzani – THIEFS

THIEFS — Survivalism
New Creation by Christophe Panzani (FR) and Keith Witty (US), with David Frazier Jr. (US); Edgar Sekloka (FR); Guillermo E. Brown (US)

The project is to create and perform a new set of compositions that will, in turn, become THIEFS’ third album, with conceptual basis “survival”. Several of the 12 movements will involve lyrical contents : spoken word, rap, and singing. Creation in the fall-winter between New York City and Paris with concerts, recording in Paris in the spring.

Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch & Amir ElSaffar – Pioneer Works

Inside Spaces
New creation by Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch (FR) and Amir ElSaffar (US)

For “Inside Spaces” project, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist and composer Amir ElSaffar joins with electronics performer and composer Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch in a new project exploring electro-acoustic spaces. The project is to have a short residency, work together, do a premiere, release an album and do a US and European tour.

Raphael Pannier

Ami
New creation by Raphael Pannier (FR) with Miguel Zenon (US), Francois Moutin (US/FR); Giorgi Mikadze (US)

Raphael Pannier (drums) is planning to record in New York a new album of original compositions crossing genres between jazz and electronic music with Miguel Zenón on saxophone; François Moutin on upright bass; and Giorgi Mikadze on piano. Miguel Zenón will also be invited to Paris to give concerts and master classes.

Laura Perrudin

Ant H
New creation by Laura Perrudin (FR) and Fabian Almazan (US)

“Ant H” is about the meeting of Laura Perrudin (electric chromatic harp, voice, electronics) and Fabian Almazan (piano, electronics), both obsessed with harmony, sound material and nature’s soundscapes. Both being influenced by a wide area of musical heritages, from the rhythmic and harmonic open-mindedness of jazz to the production precision of experimental pop and electronic music, their meeting sounded like an evidence.

The Bridge #2.05

Untitled
New creation by Sophie Agnel (FR); Ben Lamar Gay (US); Pascal Niggenkemper (FR); Samuel Pluta (US)

The Bridge, a transatlantic network for jazz and creative music between France and Chicago, will present a new collaboration between Sophie Agnel (piano), Ben Lamar Gay (cornet, electronics), Pascal Niggenkemper (double bass) and Samuel Pluta (laptop, programs) through two mini-residences, concerts, and a tour. This collective project, first initiated by Sophie Agnel, will use improvisation to explore musical territories that further blur the lines between acoustic and electronic, tradition and modernity.

Residency Grants

Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Residency of Ensemble Intercontemporain’s members Jens McManama (US); John Stulz (US); Emmanuelle Ophele (FR); Samuel Favre (FR) and Sebastien Vichard (FR)

Members of the Ensemble Intercontemporain (EIC) have been invited for a short residency at Boston Conservatory at Berklee (BCB). Planned activities are new music concerts, masterclasses, a recorded reading session of student composer works, coaching sessions, panel discussions, and workshops with composers and performance students.

Quatuor Diotima

Residency of Quatuor Diotima: Yun-Peng Zhao (FR); Constance Ronzatti (FR); Franck Chevalier (FR); Pierre Morlet (FR)

Quatuor Diotima has been invited to serve as the 2021-2022 Don Michael Randel Ensemble in Residence at The University of Chicago. During short residencies, the quartet will engage with students and faculty, visiting classrooms, leading masterclasses, and working with composition students. Additionally, they will give public performances, participate in discussions, and take part in a lecture demonstration.

HANATSUmiroir

Residency of Ensemble HANATSUmiroir: Laurent Camatte (FR); Elsa Dorbath (Swiss); Clara Levy (FR); Olivier Maurel (FR); Ayako Okubo (FR)

French ensemble HANATSUmiroir has been invited to the State University of New York at Buffalo, for a residency at the Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music. The residency will feature masterclasses, as well as workshops and public performances involving the creation of the works of students composers and HANATSUmiroir.

Lê Quan Ninh – Nameless Sound

Residency of Lê Quan Ninh (FR) with the Nameless Sound Large Ensemble (US)

French percussionist, Lê Quan Ninh, in collaboration with Nameless Sound, will assemble and rehearse an ensemble comprised of a diverse set of improvisers from Houston, Texas. The primary goal of Lê Quan Ninh’s Houston residency is to foster the development of new approaches to working collaboratively at the intersection of composed music and free improvisation. The ensemble will also explore two new pieces (commissioned by Nameless Sound) in Lê Quan’s Blocs d’Incidence series, to be performed in the United States for the first time.

Richard Sears

Residency of Richard Sears (US); Martin Nevin (US); Guilhem Flouzat (FR); Clément Edouard (FR); Isabel Sorling (FR); Guillaume Cousin (FR)

A Flutter Along The Nerves” is a performance and installation bringing together the jazz trio Constant Stranger (Richard Sears, Martin Nevin and Guilhem Flouzat), electronic composer Clément Edouard, and singer Isabel Sorling, with the help of plastic artist Guillaume Cousin, around the writings of Alice Munro. After a first residence of Richards Sears at La Cité des Arts In Paris, the artists will be in residency at the Renaissance Arts Academy in Los Angeles.

Touring Grants

Ensemble Court-circuit

US tour by Ensemble Court-circuit (FR) with Ensemble ECCE (US) and conducted by Jean Deroyer (FR)

The project is a new American tour for French Ensemble Court-circuit and American Ensemble Ecce. The ensembles will work together on pieces in large instrumentation by French and American composers conducted by Jean Deroyer, and will give them in concert at Clark University, Boston, Tufts University, etc. Court-circuit will then be hosted at the University of Buffalo and Tufts University before pursuing its tour in Canada.

ISSUE Project Room

Touring of composer Pascale Criton (FR)

The Sounding Limits tour will offer an unprecedented opportunity for audiences in New York and Chicago to engage with the pioneering work of French composer Pascale Criton. Across three public performances, ISSUE Project Room (New York) and Constellation (Chicago) will present the East Coast and Midwestern premieres of Criton’s compositions for violin and cello tuned to 1/16th of a tone. These performances will be complemented by lectures at Columbia University and The University of Chicago.

Ensemble Variances

Tour by Ensemble Variances directed by composer Thierry Pécou (FR) : Anne Cartel (FR), Carjez Gerretsen (NETHERLANDS); Cecilia Bercovich (SPAIN); David Louwerse (FR), Benedict Ziervogel (AUSTRIA); Marie Vermeulin (FR); Pierre Bibault (FR)

Fourth North American tour by Ensemble Variances. The eight-member ensemble directed by composer Thierry Pécou will present concerts, a residency, and outreach programs at the Detroit Institute of Arts (Michigan), Chapman University (Los Angeles), Jacaranda Music (Santa Monica), Music on Main (Vancouver), Bourgie Hall (Montréal) and Phillips Collection (Washington DC). The tour offers three programs featuring music by Pécou, Mâche, JL Adams, Messiaen, Vivier, and Marc Patch on ecological themes.

TrioPolycordes

US tour by TrioPolycordes: Florentino Calvo (FR), Jean-Marc Zvellenreuther (FR); Sandrine Chatron (Netherlands)

This tour project follows from the TrioPolycordes’ premier of a piece by American composer David Lipten in Argenteuil in January 2020. Following this musical exchange, the ensemble will continue this collaboration with a tour in the US.

Isabelle Olivier

US tour by Isabelle Olivier (FR); Rez Abbasi (US); David Paycha (FR); Prabhu Edouard (FR); Emie Adams (US)

OASIS (Olivier Abbasi Sound In Sound) was formed by French harpist and composer Isabelle Olivier and Pakistan-American jazz guitarist and composer Rez Abbasi. It has received an exceptional welcome in Paris, Guyancourt, New York, Chicago, Washington DC. A new tour is now planned on both sides of the Atlantic with local musicians.

OZMA

Tour by Ensemble Ozma: Stéphane Scharlé (FR); Édouard Séro-Guillaume (FR); Julien Soro (FR); Tam de Villiers (FR); Guillaume Nuss (FR)

OZMA’s first US tour will be focused on quintet’s OZMA new repertoire and 7th album “Hyperlapse“.  Film-concerts and workshops will also be offered for different audiences such as universities and music schools.

Richard Bonnet

US Tour by Trio Richard Bonnet (FR); Tony Malaby (US) and Sylvain Darrifourcq (FR)

New American tour of Trio Richard Bonnet (guitar and composing), Tony Malaby (saxophones and composing) and Sylvain Darrifourcq (drums and composing). Born in 2018, the trio wanted to create a group based on improvisation to compose organic music inspired from “Nature writing”. In addition to the concerts, they will perform for a film-concert and a masterclass at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, IN.

2019

Creative Grants

SELEBEYONE

New creation by Steve Lehman (USA); Matthieu Lasserre (FR); Kyle Austin (USA); Bamar Ndoye (FR)

American musicians Steve Lehman, Kyle Austin will collaborate with French musicians Matthieu Lasserre and Bamar Ndoye on a new creation combining modern jazz, experimental hip hop, French spectral music and electronics.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

New commission to Betsy Jolas (FR-USA)

The Boston Symphony Orchestra has commissioned French composer Betsy Jolas to write a new piece, and perform from Nov 1-12, 2019 at the Symphony Hall in Boston. The composer will also lead a series of masterclasses at the New England Conservatory.

YACINE BOULARES

New commission to Yacine Boularès (FR-USA), Nasheet Waits (USA); Maxime Sanchez (FR); Simon Tailleu (FR)

Joe’s Pub – Public Theater has commissioned Yacine Boularès to create a new album, exploring the connection between Tunisia and its Sub-Saharan African heritage. Entitled IFRIQIYA, the project will unfold in three phases: research, documentation and composition; recording; and live performances.

ENSEMBLE L’ITINERAIRE

Co-creation with ICE Ensemble (USA)

Ensemble L’Itinéraire and ICE Ensemble will combine resources and artistic experience to develop and present new works by French composer Franck Bedrossian and American icon George Lewis.

WAVEFIELD ENSEMBLE

New commission to Karl Naegelen (FR)

Wavefield Ensemble has commissioned French composer Karl Naegelen for a two-part project in New York City. Concerts will be performed in various venues to highlight the composer’s work. The ensemble will also perform pieces by French composer Raphaëlle Biston.

THE BRIDGE

New creation by Raymond Boni (FR), Mai Sugimoto (USA), Kent Kessler (USA), Paul Rogers (UK)

For the new chapter of The Bridge, Raymond Boni invited musicians to explore the possibilities of an ensemble with no drums, all of them representing radical different artistic personalities. The musician will travel to Chicago and the Midwest to develop this project.

CLOTILDE RULLAUD AND CHRIS MCCARTHY

New creation by Clotilde Rullaud (FR) and Chris McCarthy (USA)

French vocalist Clotilde Rullaud will work with Chris McCarthy during a residency at the Cell to create a new project “Pieces of Songs”. Inspired by female poet Diane Di Prima, they will develop a shared repertoire in French and English.

PATRICK ZIMMERLI & THOMAS ENHCO

New creation by Patrick Zimmerli (USA) and Thomas Enhco (FR), with Quatuor Morphing (FR), Reuben Rogers (USA), Eric Harland (USA)

Patrick Zimmerli and Thomas Enhco will work with French classical saxophone Quatuor Morphing, American jazz bassist Reuben Rogers, and drummer Eric Harland, for a cross-cultural creation named Messages. This project will be presented in New York in May 2020.

EMILIE LESBROS & RAFAELLE RINAUDO

New creation by Emilie Lesbros (FR-USA) and Rafaëlle Rinaudo (FR)

Emilie Lesbros and Rafaëlle Rinaudo will collaborate during a two-week residency in Marseille at AMI Studio (Marseille Innovative Music Association). They will create a new repertoire and record an album. They will then go to New York for a second residency and a concert at Spectrum.

Touring Grants

ENSEMBLE INTERCONTEMPORAIN

Series of performances in California

Ensemble intercontemporain will perform a series of five concerts in June 2020 in California (festival to be announced). The ensemble will play creative programs combining existing and new pieces of its repertoire.

ENSEMBLE LINEA

ECCE Ensemble & Linea in New England

ECCE ensemble has invited Ensemble Linea for a tour including performances at Clark University (Worcester), Brandeis University (Waltham) and the Boston Athenaeum (Boston) in April 2020. The concerts will feature the music of Erin Gee and Yu-Hui Chang, two leading female composers in the U.S.

ANNABELLE PLAYE

U.S. Tour

Annabelle Playe will perform her latest album, GEYSER, on a solo tour in Washington DC, New York, Memphis and more in November 2019.

ENSEMBLE IRE

Series of performances and masterclasses in Los Angeles and Chicago

Ensemble IRE will be performing in universities in the region of Los Angeles and Chicago in May 2020. The ensemble will also interact with students in workshops focused on electronic music

MONDAY EVENING SERIES

Series of performances in Los Angeles – Éliane Radigue: Leap into the Void

Monday Evening Concerts (MEC) will present a series of performances in Los Angeles with Eliane Radigue, based on her new works. Complementary activities will be organized, including educational workshops. Accompanying artists will be Carol Robinson, Hélène Breschand, and Louis-Michel Marion.

ILLEGAL CROWNS

U.S. Tour

The collective quartet Illegal Crowns brings together the NYC-based trio of guitarist Mary Halvorson, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum with the French pianist Benoît Delbecq. They will be touring in June 2020 in New York, Boston, Chicago, and Pittsburg.

BAY CHAMBER CONCERTS – MELANIE GENIN

Original works for harp

The program, with pieces by Christian Dachez and Pauline Kim Harris will be performed by French harpist Mélanie Genin. It will focus on the presentation of two works for harp and string ensemble.

THE JAZZ GALLERY – REVERSO

U.S. Tour

The chamber jazz ensemble Reverso, featuring French pianist Frank Woeste and cellist Vincent Courtois, will release a new album in 2020, followed by a tour in Denver, New York, Philadelphia and more.

Residency Grants

SAMY THIEBAULT

Residency project in Miami (FL)

Samy Thiebault will be working in Miami in September to create the second chapter of his Caribbean Stories with American musicians including Dafnis Prieto, Brian Lynch, and Cuban musicians Manuel Valera and Yunior Terry Cabrera.

NOORG – LOIC GUENIN

Residency project in Atlanta (GA)

French electroacoustic duo NOORG (Loïc Guenin and Eric Bouchard) will work at Georgia Tech School of Music, as part of the 2019 France-Atlanta festival. Activities include workshops and collaborative performances with students; free outdoors performances; and public lectures about the group’s electronic, improvisational, and graphic approaches to music making.

DEDE SAINT-PRIX

Residency project in New Orleans (LA)

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park will be hosting artist Dédé Saint-Prix, and collaborator Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes who will work together on a new project exploring New Orleans jazz and its connection to Martinique and creole culture.

ALAIN BONARDI

Residency project in Irvine (CA)

Alain Bonardi will undertake a one-month residency at the University of California Irvine to develop a research and creation program in the field of mixed music, in partnership with the University’s professors and students.