March 13, 2015

Friday night live at Transistor: Berlin contemporary classical trio XelmYa. Sound by Jon Monteverde. 

XelmYa (Alexa Renger, violin; Sylvia Hinz, recorder; Ulrike Ruf, violoncello) was founded in 2008. One of their goals: to push, foster and develop the instrumentation of the baroque trio sonata into contemporary music and modern times. Since their formation, they performed numerous premieres composed especially for this trio. The promotion of contemporary music and music by female composers are two of the main topics of XelmYa.

For their Chicago performance, XelmYa presented a wild and very mixed program, unusual contemporary classical music with some additional electronics. They started with an improvisation called “time!” It was followed by the world premier of “How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night” by Martin Gaughan, and the U.S. premiers of “touch” (2014) with tape by Kristin Thora Haraldsdóttir, “au coeur du silence” by Violeta Dinescu, and “obscured light” (2014) with reverberation by John Strieder.

Biographies

Alexa Renger began studying violin in 1988 with Kolja Blacher at the University of the Arts in Berlin and later pursued further studies in orchestral and chamber music with Emil Maas, Uwe-Martin Heilberg and Axel Gerhardt. Her main interest lies in chamber music in various formations.

Sylvia Hinz (www.sylviahinz.com) studied recorder at the University of Arts Berlin with Gerd Luenenbuerger, experimental music with Dieter Schnebel, chamber music with Nigel North and conducting/ensemble leading at the BAK Trossingen with René Schuh and Wolfgang Ruediger. She is founding member of: XelmYa, Syl’Cor (recorder, piano), the bewitched project (recorder, percussion/drums ), UMBRATONO (recorder, bass clarinet). She also plays solo recitals and concerts with ensembles and orchestras, holds special interest in contemporary music and improvisation.

Ulrike Ruf studied violoncello at HfM “Hanns Eisler” Berlin. She was a member of the Berliner Konzerhausorchester, performed in many European countries and on festivals like MaerzMusik and Schleswig-HolsteinMusik-Festival. She was featured in the series “Improviation” at the studio LaborGras with Renate Graziadei (Sasha Waltz & Guests), Anna Huber and Susanne Linke. In 2010, she was awarded the Elsa-Neumann grant of Berlin for the recherche and concept of her music theater piece SORORI, which was premiered under her direction by the Vocalconsort Berlin in 2011.

Visit XelmYa on Soundcloud and YouTube.

XelmYa’s Chicago appearance was partially funded by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chicago.