“An album of songs for experimental big band.” Irish composer and vocalist Jennifer Walshe explores the shifting boundaries between humans and machines, bodies and technologies, reality and virtuality.

Wednesday 7 July 2027
Thursday 8 July 2027
Friday 9 July 2027
Saturday 10 July 2027
Sunday 11 July 2027


(World premiere, commissioned by Warsaw Autumn
and the Festival d’Automne in Paris)
for voice, analogue voice, synthesiser
and experimental brass ensemble

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Noëlle Reymond, electric double bass
Simon Aeschimann, electric guitar
Antoine Françoise, keyboard
Thierry Debons, drums
Anne Bassand, harp
Susanne Peters, flute
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Arthur Escriva, trumpet
Charles Pierron, horn
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé, saxophone
Serge Bonvalot, tuba

Viitasaari, Finland
Venue to be confirmed

JENNIFER WALSHE

Viitasaari – Some Thinking & Feeling

A Music Festival filled with good cheer, featuring Aurélien Chappuis performing new operetta arias.

 (world premiere, commissioned by Contrechamps)
for inclusive choir and ensemble

, composition
Aurélien Chappuis, conductor

BENOÎT MOREAU

Chœur en Fusion

An immersive open-air musical performance taking place at dusk in the interstitial spaces typically found on the outskirts of towns and cities.

INSTRUMENT DONATION CAMPAIGN 
FOR CIVIL TWILIGHT !

Friday 11 June 2027, 7.30 pm
Saturday 12 June 2027, 7.30 pm
Sunday 13 June 2027, 7.30 pm

 (commissioned for the Ensemble Contrechamps)
immersive open-air performance

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Arthur Escriva, trumpet
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Maximilian Haft, violin
Martina Brodbeck, cello
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

Caroline Barneaud
Serge Vuille
Artistic collaborators

Bourdonnette and surrounding area
1007 Lausanne

ARI BENJAMIN MEYERS

Civil Twilight

Artist Alicja Kwade has been given free rein. Inspired by the exhibition, three musicians from the Ensemble will present a programme in the MAH’s exhibition spaces.

Thierry Debons, percussion
Rada Hadjikostova, violin
Susanne Peters, flute

A MUSICAL TOUR

Jeudi au MAH

An opera of light and shadow by Kaija Saariaho, inspired by Japanese Noh theatre, featuring, amongst others, Philippe Jaroussky and Davóne Tines, directed by Peter Sellars.

Wednesday 19 May 2027, 7.30 pm
Friday 21 May 2027, 7.30 pm
Sunday 23 May 2027, 3.00 pm
Tuesday 25 May 2027, 7.30 pm

Chamber opera for countertenor, bass-baritone,
mixed choir, flute, percussion, kantele and string quartet

Vocal Quartet of the Geneva Grand Théâtre Choir

KAIJA SAARIAHO

Only the Sound Remains

A musical theatre piece set in a ‘waiting room’, Julien Chavaz and Christoph Clausen present a pantomime show inspired by J. M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, set to music by Sarah Nemtsov.

Recommended for ages 14 and over
Duration: 1h25

(2019/2026) for acoustic guitar and double bass

(commissioned by Contrechamps, Ircam-Centre Pompidou, Magdeburg Theatre) for ensemble, electronics and resonant objects

(commissioned by Contrechamps, Ircam-Centre Pompidou and the Magdeburg Theatre) for synthesiser and resonant objects

Daniel Daniela Ojeda Yrureta
Clara Delorme
Julia Deit-Ferrand
Floran Anderer
Steven Beards
Actors

le Centre d’Accompagnement et de Réalisation Technique de la HEM (ARTeM)

Otto-von-Guericke-Straße 64
39104 Magdebourg, Germany

SARAH NEMTSOV, JULIEN CHAVAZ

Magdebourg – Neverland

A concert featuring the works of Kaija Saariaho as part of the OCG’s chamber music series.

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Maximilian Haft, violin
Rada Hadjikostova, violin
Hans Egidi, viola
Martina Brodbeck, cello

Fleurs de neige

On the first Sunday of every month, we organise family-friendly events to kick off the day with music!

9.30 am – Doors open/breakfast
10.00 am – Concerts begin

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé, saxophone
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

TOM JOHNSON

Dimanche, c'est famille !

A concert centred on the music of Kaija Saariaho, presented in connection with her opera Only the Sound Remains, performed at the Bâtiment des Forces Motrices from 18 to 25 May 2027 in collaboration with the Grand Théâtre de Genève.

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Susanne Peters, flute
Martina Brodbeck, cello

Apéropéra

To give a voice to everyone, and in particular to those from the smallest minority groups, through a collective, non-hierarchical musical creation.

 (commissioned by Contrechamps)
performed by the musicians of the Ensemble Close-Up

ENSEMBLE CLOSE-UP

Bâle – Deep Democracy

An exploration of a technique developed by the American composer, which draws on the spectrum of natural harmonics, in collaboration with the Dedalus Ensemble.

(world premiere, 
co-commissioned by 
the Archipel Festival, 
Contrechamps and 
the Dedalus Ensemble)
for twenty musicians

CATHERINE LAMB, ENSEMBLE DEDALUS

Geminus

 
(a new work commissioned by Contrechamps)
performed by the musicians of the Ensemble Close-Up

Deep Democracy

Saturday 8 May 2027, Théâtre de Magdebourg
Sunday 9 May 2027, Théâtre de Magdebourg


Ensemble Contrechamps
Thierry Debons, percussion
Antoine Françoise, piano

JOHN CAGE

24 Studies for orchestra without a conductor. A controversial, immersive work, performed whilst the audience is free to come and go as they please during the performance.

 (2009)
Etudes for orchestra without a conductor

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Susanne Peters, flute
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé, saxophone
Charles Pierron, horn
Arthur Escriva, trumpet
Serge Bonvalot, tuba
Thierry Debons, percussion
Antoine Françoise, piano
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Anne Bassand, harp
Maximilian Haft, violin
Hans Egidi, viola
Martina Brodbeck, cello
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

MATHIAS SPAHLINGER

Carte blanche

Over four hours of live music, featuring a variety of sets and artists, culminating in an enhanced listening experience and two video works screened continuously from 7 pm until midnight.

 (world premiere, co-commissioned
by Contrechamps and the HEM)


(world premiere, commissioned by Contrechamps, for trumpet, horn, tuba, and electronics)

 (creation, commissioned by Contrechamps, trumpet, French horn, tuba, electronics, resonators and lights)

(world premiere, commissioned by Contrechamps)

Marc Ribot, Florence Melnotte, Simon Aeschimann, Antoine Françoise
Improvised set with 2 pianos and 2 guitars


6 p.m.–midnight, two ground-floor rooms:

FMAC
Two video works screened continuously

MARC RIBOT QUARTET “Hurry Red Telephone”

FMAC (Collection d’art contemporain de la Ville de Genève)

Auditorium Ansermet – Centre des Musiques Actuelles

Pass. Marie-Claude Leburgue 2, 1205 Geneva


GYÖRGY LIGETI, MARC RIBOT QUARTET, ADRIEN TRYBUCKI, KARL NAEGELEN, MARC GARCIA VITORIA, JORGE CARE, KATIA GEHA, FLORENCE MELNOTTE, FMAC

La Nuit du quatuor

Back from a tour of Indigenous territories, fully embracing the exchanges and the bridges that can be built across cultures.

 (world premiere, 
commissioned by Contrechamps)
for ensemble

Thursday 21 January 2027, MEG and Auditorium Ansermet

JESSIE COX, NARDI SIMPSON

Lens – Out of Australia

6.00 pm – Guided tour of the Aboriginal collection
at the 

Matthieu Baumann, lighting design
Yvonne Harder, foyer set design

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Antoine Françoise, keyboards
Susanne Peters, flute
Pierre-Stéphane Meugé, saxophone
Thierry Debons, percussion
Maximilian Haft, violin
Hans Egidi, viola
Martina Brodbeck, cello
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

Friday 22 January 2027, Fondation Opale, Lens

6.00 pm: Musée d’ethnographie de Genève
Bd Carl-Vogt 67, 1205 Geneva

7.30 pm: Auditorium Ansermet – Centre des Musiques Actuelles
Pass. Marie-Claude Leburgue 2, 1205 Geneva

Out of Australia

 (Foliage) evokes, in itself, the plant world so dear to the composer and his idea of the perpetual transformation and proliferation of sound.

Enno Poppe, composition and musical direction

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Susanne Peters, flute
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Antoine Françoise, piano
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Maximilian Haft, violin
Hans Egidi, viola
Martina Brodbeck, cello

ENNO POPPE

Bâle – Laub

The encounter between one of the masters of Swiss Symbolism, Ferdinand Hodler, and Schoenberg’s music at the turn of the century.

 (premiere, commissioned by Contrechamps)
for string trio

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Rada Hadjikostova, violin
Maximilian Haft, violin
Hans Egidi, viola
Benoît Morel, viola
Martina Brodbeck, cello
Martin Jaggi, cello

Musée International de la Réforme (MIR)

Guided tours of the exhibition at 6.00 pm, by booking only

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG, DZOVINAR MIKIRDITSIAN

La Nuit transfigurée

Inspired by the current exhibition, two Ensemble musicians are joined by students from the Geneva University of Music to perform throughout the galleries of the Museum of Art and History.

Students from the 
Geneva University of Music (HEM)

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Charles Pierron, horn
Maximilian Haft, violin

Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
Haute école de musique de Genève

GYÖRGY KURTÁG

Visite en musique

This two-day workshop with Christophe Meierhans focuses on musical and vocal practices as spaces for experimentation, transformation, and process-oriented attention.


Hosted by Contrechamps
Speech by Christophe Meierhans

Workshop for professional musicians,
amateurs, and non-musicians

WORKSHOP

Musique inécoutable

Paris – Some Thinking & Feeling

Geneva Conducting Competition: the joy of performance under the baton of the various competitors.

 (2009)
street theatre scenes, for ensemble

 (2019)
for fifteen soloists and conductor


Candidates from the Geneva Competition 
in Orchestral Conducting

GYÖRGY LIGETI, UNSUK CHIN, REBECCA SAUNDERS

Demi-finale

 belongs to the intense and luminous body of work from Jürg Frey's later years, which has earned him growing international recognition.

New Wayve Contemporary Music Performance Study Club

The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków (AMKP

) :
Julia Szlendak, violin
Aspen Bajak, violin
Maria Treit, cello
Martyna Jaracz, flute
Adam Gąsiorek, oboe
Dawid Skóra, saxophone
Michał Durowski, trumpet
Karol Gańcarczyk, trombone
Łukasz Adamczyk, tuba
Gabriela Dudziak, harp
Karol Michalik, accordion
Michał Kisielewicz, percussion
Beniamin Gleń, percussion
Zosia Młyńska, student producer

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Antoine Françoise, musical direction
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Charles Pierron, French horn
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Hans Egidi, viola
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

Académie Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music

Muzeum Armii Krajowej (Musée de l'Armée), Kraków

JÜRG FREY

Cracovie – Récit des sensations fragiles

The legendary adventures of Artemis – stories that are as fabulous as they are moving – are set to be enjoyed by the whole family this fall.

28 oct., 16h15 - Maison Chauvet-Lullin, Vernier

31 oct., 14h30 - Bibliothèque de Carouge

1er nov., 15h - Bibliothèque Forum Meyrin

Katerina Apostolopoulou tells stories to Murielle Szac,
accompanied by double bassist Noëlle Reymond.

, La mythologie grecque en 100 épisodes, Murielle Szac, 2015, Bayard Jeunesse

, La mythologie grecque en 100 épisodes, Murielle Szac, 2019, Bayard Jeunesse

, Katerina Apostolopoulou, 2020, éd. Bruno Doucet

Bibliothèque Forum Meyrin
Pl. des Cinq-Continents 1, 1217 Meyrin

MUSICAL READING (IMPROVISED)

Les feuilletons de la mythologie grecque

Les Caves
Rte de Sauverny 6, 1290 Versoix

Bibliothèque de Carouge
Bd des Promenades 2B, 1227 Carouge

Zeynep Toraman – Castle Terraces  in Barry Lyndon 

Will we learn to love birds, not for their exuberant songs, but for what they are?

6.45 pm: pre-concert talk
7.30 pm: concert

 (2001)
for piano, chamber orchestra and electronics

(2011-2012)
for oboe, clarinet, saxophone,
bass clarinet and bassoon


(2021, version 2023/2026)
for carrier pigeons fitted
with whistling vests and ensemble


Screening of a video version of the play on a big screen.
Footage filmed in Dharavi, Mumbai, in 2023, accompanied by a new instrumental recording.
The video will then be shown on the 

 of the Centre d'art contemporain Genève.

, musical direction
Antoine Françoise, solo piano

Nicolas Donin, co-curator
Matthieu Baumann, lighting design
Yvonne Harder, reception set design
David Poissonnier, sound engineering
Gilbert Nouno, live electronics
Sara Goodman, catering

JONATHAN HARVEY, CAROLA BAUCKHOLT, ROBIN MEIER WIRATUNGA

Chants d'oiseaux

À Contrechamps, une saison sous le signe du retour à la nature

Tribune de Genève – À Contrechamps, une saison sous le signe du retour à la nature

Apophenia - Robin Meier Wiratunga

Diffusion radio – Le Portail de glace

MAMCO invites you to a special late-night opening dedicated to the exhibitions ‘

’. The evening will feature a programme combining live music and guided tours.


for 2 voices (a singing one and a double bass one)

The Table of Knowledge: "Datura" and "Belladonna"

SYLVIA SLEIGH EXHIBITION

Instrument Donation Campaign
Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne

Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne – Instrument Donation Campaign

Contrechamps is heading to Porto to stage Stephen O’Malley’s now-iconic play, directed by Simon Aeschimann.


(2025, commissioned by Contrechamps)
Orchestrated by Simon Aeschimann

, composition
Simon Aeschimann, orchestration

Ensemble Contrechamps:
Susanne Peters, flute
Emilie Brisedou, flute
Clara Giner, flute
Marie Mercier, clarinet
Charles Pierron, French horn
Serge Bonvalot, tuba
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Christelle Sery, guitar
Stéphane Augsburger, guitar
Marino Pliakas, guitar
Noëlle Reymond, double Bass
Francisco Morais Fernandes, shruti box
Maxime Le Saux, sound engineer

R. Dom João de Castro 210,
4150-417 Porto, Portugal

STEPHEN O’MALLEY, SIMON AESCHIMANN

Porto – But remember... 

A musical theatre piece set in a ‘waiting room’, Julien Chavaz and Christoph Clausen present a pantomime show inspired by J. M. Barrie’s 

Saturday 5 September, 5.30 pm
before the 7 pm concert

(commissioned by Contrechamps, Ircam-Centre Pompidou, and the Magdeburg Theater) for ensemble, electronics, and resonant objects

(commissioned by Contrechamps, IRCAM-Centre Pompidou, and the Magdeburg Theater) for synthesizer and resonant objects

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Antoine Françoise, keyboards
Maruta Staravoitava, flute
Laurent Bruttin, clarinet
Thierry Debons, percussion
Simon Aeschimann, guitar
Noëlle Reymond, double bass

Christophe Egea, sound
Thierry Bonvin, sound

Neverland

An immersive experience centred on two works by Arvo Pärt: 

. In these scores, with their luminous simplicity, listening becomes contemplation. Alongside these, Heinz Holliger’s 

Ensemble Contrechamps :
Maximilian Haft, violin
Hans Egidi, viola and violin
Saray Ruiz Pulido, viola
Coco Schwarz, piano

ARVO PÄRT, HEINZ HOLLIGER, CHIYOKO SZLAVNICS

Les Battements de l’Abbatiale

Invitation à l’apéritif d'ouverture de la saison !

A legendary work in the contemporary repertoire, Steve Reich’s 

 (1976) epitomises the composer’s repetitive and minimalist aesthetic, appealing to music lovers, fans of electronic music and those curious about new sonic experiences. The opening performance, featuring Julia Wolfe, promises rock energy and sparkling sounds.

Anne Montandon, soprano
Emma Clémence Rieger, singer
Fanny Anderegg, singer
Cécile Matthey, singer
Jean-Baptiste Bosshard, sound engineer


Anne Briset
Damien Darioli
Loïc Defaux
Dorian Fretto
Till Lingenberg
Fabien Perreau

Ensemble Contrechamps
Rebecca Minten, clarinet
Marie Mercier, clarinet
Sébastien Cordier, percussion
Thierry Debons, percussion
Antoine Françoise, piano
Gilles Grimaître, piano
Stefan Wirth, piano
Maximilian Haft, violin
Aurélien Ferrette, celle

Parc La Grange, Geneva
19 Avenue Alice-et-William-Favre, 1207 Geneva

STEVE REICH, JULIA WOLFE

Musiques en été

:
La Dépendance
Route du Grand-Lancy 8, 1212 Lancy

With Maison Rousseau et Littérature (MRL)

Season