Transpiring at iconic The Hague venues like the Grote Kerk, Lutherse Kerk and Electriciteitsfabriek, the Rewire 2018 programme introduces you to some of the most innovative artists and composers working in the fields of contemporary and electronic music today. Opening with Tristan Perich’s pioneering 1-bit compositions on Friday and concluding with Juliana Huxtable’s mesmerising multimedia commission on Sunday, this year’s programme includes numerous premieres and special performances that showcase the cutting-edge of contemporary composition and avant-garde experimentation. To give you a helping hand, we’ve selected a few highlights below.
Rewire 2018 Festival (€75) and Day (€33.50) passes are available atTickets.
All weekend – various locations
New York-based composer and visual artist Tristan Perich draws inspiration from mathematics, physics and code to compose groundbreaking works that pair acoustic instrumentation with handmade, 1-bit electronics. At Rewire 2018, he presents an expansive programme that spans the full spectrum of his oeuvre, including a live performance of Active Field together with the Royal Conservatoire String Ensemble on opening night, Surface Image with Vicky Chow on Saturday and Noise Patterns solo on Sunday.
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/KoB3wK2-FEI
Saturday, 7 April – Lutherse Kerk
Swedish composer and sound artist Ellen Arkbro employs traditional acoustic instruments and digital algorithmic synthesis to explore the qualities of musical harmony. At Rewire 2018, she performs her latest album, For Organ and Brass, with support from the Berlin-based brass trio Zinc & Copper. as well as a new work composed especially for the Lutherse Kerk organ.
Sunday, 8 April – Grote Kerk
A writer, poet, multimedia artist, DJ and LGBT activist, Juliana Huxtable explores the intersections of race, gender, queerness and identity through a vast range of artistic expression. At Rewire 2018, she presents the world premiere of Triptych, a commissioned performance for electronics, voice, harp, drums and video together with New York-based pianist and composer Joe Heffernan and Detroit-based harpist Ahya Simone.
Friday, 6 April –Lutherse Kerk
The union of two of Poland’s most celebrated underground artists – classically-trained clarinettist and composer Waclaw Zimpel and multi-instrumentalist and producer Jakub Ziolek – Zimpel/Ziolek create a wondrous fusion of lush psychedelic music of electronic and acoustic origins.
Friday, 6 April – Lutherse Kerk
Using live electronic devices and innovative performance techniques to extend the sonic realms of their acoustic instruments, Austrian violinist Mia Zabelka, Norwegian guitarist John Hegre and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Finger craft a mesmerizing sonic world that buzzes and drones, glitches and slithers, eventually careening into unexplored musical territories.
Friday, 6 April – Koorenhuis
Hailing from the little village of Lesno Brdo, Slovenian trio Širom create vibrant sonic landscapes that shift between imagined instrumental folk and post-rock meditations, drifting from improvisation to structured composition and back again.
Saturday, 7 April – Lutherse Kerk
Harnessing the guitar as a catalyst for his electronic manipulations of sound, Stephan Meidell conjures his latest album Metrics to life with the help of a full ensemble. Comprising musicians from a wide array of backgrounds, including Norwegian folk music, improvised and contemporary music, baroque and jazz, they create an intricately woven sound universe that fuses the disparate realms of chamber music, sound art and techno.
Sunday, 8 April – Korzo
Using ancient instruments like the piri, yanggeum and saenghwang, as well as the modern sounds of saxophone, bass clarinet, vibraphone and percussion, South Korean composer Park Jiha unleashes a stunning collection of instrumentals that intertwines minimalism and melody with bursts of furious energy and experimentation.
→ https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZinysEUElA
Sunday, 8 April – Korzo
Working at the intersection of modular synthesis and amplified/effected bass clarinet, the Portland-based duo combines strong melodicism with an organic approach to experimental electronic sound. At Rewire 2018, Golden Retriever transforms their latest album Rotations into a lush, meditative and intensely emotional performance.