‘A label for a lack of a label’: hear now berlin’s founder on playing genre-defying chamber music:

We spoke with founder and flutist Kelly Watson Woelffer and violist Xina Hawkins about their upcoming concert and the challenges of holding rehearsals during a pandemic."

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- Sylvia Cunningham for KCRW Berlin, August 29, 2020

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"hear now berlin. is challenging how audiences experience classical chamber music through unique instrumentation and genre-blending performances. We talked to three of the group's members about making music more accessible for all listeners."

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- Sylvia Cunningham for KCRW Berlin, March 23, 2019 

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"I chose hear now berlin. for my latest composition for many reasons. First, because they are instrumentalists and interpreters at the forefront of their genre. Their skills as instrumentalists go far beyond their ability to simply read the music accurately. Their ability to compose, to improvise, to play multiple instruments, quickly switch genres, and play with shattering rhythmic vitality makes them a group that has no equal. As composers and improvisers in their own right, they are not merely performing a work but collaborating and creating along with the composition. When they work on my music I know that It will become something far greater than if I had depended solely on my own input. This unique style and ability to collaborate takes their music making outside of the traditional and places them in a league of their own."

 

- Nathan Schram, Composer and Violist of the Grammy Award Winning Attaca Quartet

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"hear now berlin. ist ein außergewöhnliches Ensemble. Für mich steht es für die Idee von „Post Genre“ schlechthin. Und genau das interessiert mich als Komponisten sehr. Mit dem Ensemble scheint alles möglich - es lehnt sich von experimentellen, zeitgenössischen Farben weit rüber zum Popappeal - sogar improvisierte Momente kommen vor. Diese Breite der Farbpalette ist mir und meinem Anspruch an meine Arbeit sehr nah - weit weg von allen Dogmen und sehr unmittelbar, durchlässig. Ich bin mir sicher, das wird eine gute Zusammenarbeit."

 

- Max Andrzewski, Schlagzeuger und Komponist, Berlin

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