ÖNCZkekvist is a collaborative project of the young improvisation scene in Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic. For a week starting on July 24th, 2010, 35 participants are going to work together as an orchestra, in ensembles and discussion groups. The project takes place at the cultural exchange centre CESTA (www.cesta.cz) in Tábor, Czech Republic. Highlights are a concert on July 31st and subsequent recording sessions at the ORF RadioKulturhaus in Vienna, Austria.
The focus of this cooperation is collective free improvisation. Groundbreaking experiments with a variety of genres, limits and organisational structures form the basis for this new way of playing music. All participating musicians are between 18 and 30 years old and come from different musical traditions (from classic and jazz to noise) and cultural backgrounds. Dealing with the diversity of the group is an integral and important part of the project. In addition to self-organized workshops, debates and lectures about improvised music in the context of experimental art and society, the core of the project is the intensive and focused creation of music in different formations. The stylistically diverse group of participants is going to develop a concept for the orchestra rehearsals with the additional help of thorough research and the cooperation of external musicians who contribute years of experience in the area of improvisation. The programme is being discussed in an international message board and several local meetings.
ÖNCZkekvist is a unique platform for young musicians in the area of experimental and improvised music that creates a solid and professional foundation for innovative, international artistic production and theoretical reflection. The concert at ORF RadioKulturhaus will take place on July 31st at 8 PM. Tickets are available from Jugendinfo Wien, Babenbergerstraße 1 for €5 or €10 (box office €10 /€20). The programme includes improvisations in large and small groups and consists of recycled and new material.
ÖNCZkekvist is funded as a youth exchange by the EU programme “Youth in Action“. Further financial contributions come from the Norwegian Arts Council. The Sommerstudio-Stipend of the Ske-Fonds of Austro Mechana allows for professional recordings in the orchestra studio of the ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Services). Both a CD and an additional booklet with documentation will be released in autumn and presented at concerts in all three participating countries. The Viennese association snim – Spontaneous Network for Improvised Music (http://snim.klingt.org), the Norwegian concert organiser Dans for voksne (www.dansforvoksne.no) and CESTA — The Cultural Exchange Station in Tábor, Czech Republic (www.cesta.cz) are partners of the project.