At First

Marc Sinan’s work explores new collaboration methods between artists in a transcultural and transmedial context. He regularly works both as composer and artistic director, guitarist and producer with his own ensemble, the Marc Sinan Company, as well as an ever-changing line-up of international guests and institutional partners. Recordings of his works are released by ECM Records. He lives and works in Berlin.
His works address current socio-political issues. They are performed internationally, and have made guest appearances at festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Istanbul Festival, and MaerzMusik, as well as at venues such as the Oper Halle, Oper Wuppertal, Theater Bremen, Humboldt Forum Berlin, the Gorki Theater and the Wiener Konzerthaus. Sinan has worked on collaborations with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Philharmonie Jena, Staatskapelle Weimar, Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg, Dresdner Sinfoniker, No Borders Orchestra, Ensemble ConTempo Beijing, the Belgrade ensemble Metamorphosis, Sonar Quartett, the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, the schnellebuntebilder media collective, Iva Bittová, Oğuz Büyükberber, Jörg Widmann, Kayhan Kalhor and numerous other ensembles and musicians from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

Born in Haiti, Kettly has lived in Bamako, Mali since 1999. She is a dancer, choreographer, and actress, and tours internationally with her work. Her first creation, Dans Lacour, from 1996 – a seminal piece steeped in Haitian voodoo culture – delves into the animistic universe of the island, while simultaneously exploring the roots of modern African dance. Kettly Noël currently directs the international contemporary dance festival Dense Bamako Danse, which she founded in 2003, as well as the Donko Seko Cultural Centre, a space for training, choreographic creativity and development of contemporary dance as a tool for socialisation. She was invited to perform at documenta 14 in 2017, where she created the installation and performance Zombification.

Founded in 2019, this orchestra from Bamako combines traditional instruments from Mali with European music to create a unique transcultural interplay. Singer and kamale n’goni player Lassine Koné, together with Habib Sangaré on bolon and calabash, and balafon virtuoso Joel Diarra, form an extraordinary ensemble.

Founded in 2008, the Marc Sinan Company (MS\C) has established a strong profile and a global network. Led by composer and guitarist Marc Sinan, this independent ensemble creates its award-winning transmedial, transcultural projects thanks to an interdisciplinary team and international guests. Permanent ensemble members include clarinettist and electronic musician Oguz Büyükberber, drummer Daniel Eichholz, author Maike Wetzel, producer Eric Nikodym, dramaturge Holger Kuhla and sound designer Karsten Lipp. Their acclaimed guests include Iva Bittová, Kettly Noël (Mali), Ulzhan Baibussynova (Kazakhstan), Ensemble ConTempo Beijing (China), the Djiguiya Orchestra (Mali), Damian and Delaine Le Bas (UK) and the schnellebuntebilder media collective. The company regularly appears with a varying line-up at top-class festivals and venues – most recently in India, Turkey and the USA. Collaboration partners have included the Badische Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Bühnen Halle, the Dresdner Sinfoniker and the Humboldt Forum Berlin. Projects created by the MS\C have received numerous awards, including from UNESCO.

The Neue Vocalsolisten see themselves first and foremost as explorers and discoverers. In order to pave the way for the new, they regularly work together with both established and young composers. Over the past 20 years, this has resulted in a repertoire of vocal chamber music that is unique the world over. The Neue Vocalsolisten work particularly within the area of contemporary music theatre with its characteristic electronic media, video and conceptual art. Against this interdisciplinary background, they have formed the genre of vocal chamber music theatre, including works by Georges Aperghis, Carola Bauckholt, Luciano Berio, Luca Francesconi, Lucia Ronchetti, Oscar Strasnoy and Claude Vivier. The ensemble consistently partners with top-class specialist ensembles and orchestras, international opera houses, the independent theatre scene, electronic studios and numerous organisers of festivals and concert series of new music across the globe.