Monchocé/Studer duo + Flinn/Monchocé/Kim trio
Concert
Nov. 4, 2025; 7PM
Nov. 4, 2025; 7PM
This unique concert brings together two bands united by a shared interest in sonic exploration and meticulous attention to detail. Each group will present its own distinctive project before merging into an unprecedented quartet, opening a space for new musical possibilities to emerge.
The Monchocé/Studer duo delves into the rich possibilities of dialogue between the gayageum and the double bass, crafting a dynamic and ever-evolving musical exchange. Their approach is fluid and stylistically open-ended, yet deeply communicative. Both musicians engage with their long-stringed instruments through a shared language of extended techniques—arco, pizzicato, sticks, and splitted strings, etc—shaping a cohesive sonic landscape. In their improvisational interplay, they pursue common artistic objectives, sculpting sound, form, and time with a refined sense of unity and exploration. They released their first album together on Impakt Records.
Stephen Flinn, Jung-Jae Kim, and Sylvain Monchoce contribute a unique artistic voice, blending avant-garde jazz, electroacoustic experimentation, and a range of traditional and extended techniques. Their performances are defined by a volatile, ever-evolving soundscape, rich in timbral diversity and sonic color. The trio crafts immersive, spatially resonant experiences using small, delicate, and exquisite sound sources. They navigate silence and stillness as skillfully as sound, moving through meditative waves and tranquil moments to sculpt a sonic universe that is both intimate and expansive. Their improvisations speak a universal language while remaining deeply personal, offering audiences an encounter with sound that is as ephemeral as it is unforgettable. Their first album together will be released on Creative Sources in August 2025.
Stephen Flinn – percussion
Jung-Jae Kim – tenor saxophone
Sylvain Monchocé – gayageum, alto saxophone & flute
Daniel Studer – double bass
Sylvain Monchocé (sylvainmonchoce.com) is a multi-instrumentalist and improviser. He is interested in "musique concrète instrumentale" and has developed unique extended techniques for each of his instruments, creating sounds between electronics and acoustics. He is particularly interested in granular breathing sounds, multiphonics, harmonics and silence. He performs mainly free improvised music, but also the repertoire of contemporary and classical music. He has performed in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Denmark, Poland, Canada, South Korea and Japan.
Daniel Studer (danielstuder.ch), double bass, improvisation, composition.
1961*, lived and worked in Rome from 1981 to 1995.His focus lies on improvisation and mixed forms of improvisation and composition. He participated in various projects involving space, live electronics, text, dance, music and video. Records with the Solo, Kontrabassduo Studer-Frey, Kimmig-Studer-Zimmerlin, Giancarlo Schiaffini Quintet, George Lewis, John Butcher and others on HatHut, ezz-thetics, Leo Records, Edition RZ, EMANEM. Ongoing collaborations with Peter K Frey, Markus Eichenberger, Gabriela Friedli, Mischa Käser, Harald Kimmig, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Dieter Ulrich, Alfred Zimmerlin. Played among others with Verena Buss, Jacques Demierre, Hans Koch, Joëlle Léandre, Urs Leimgruber, Frantz Loriot, Paul Lovens, Magda Mayas, Evan Parker, Elliott Sharp, Lara Süß, Birgit Ulher, Philip Zoubek. Festivals: Festival New Music Ostrava, Tage für Neue Musik Zurich, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Nickelsdorfer Konfrontationen, Festival Densités, Controindicazioni Roma, Ulrichsberger Kaleidophon, Willisau Jazz Festival, World New Music Days, Festival Yokohama.
Jung-Jae Kim (ejjemusic.bandcamp.com) is a South Korean saxophonist, composer, and improviser based in Berlin. He pushes the boundaries of sonic aesthetics and sound definitions, taking a transdisciplinary approach to explore new possibilities and delve into human senses and communication through free improvisation.
Stephen Flinn (stephenflinn.net) is an active composer, performer, and improviser living in Berlin, Germany. He performs throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States in contexts ranging from solo to large groups, supporting Butoh dancers, and various ongoing projects. He has spent decades experimenting with traditional percussion to create distinct sounds and phonic textures, and to find new extended techniques for expressing himself in diverse musical settings.