British pianist and composer Alexander Hawkins brings two very different, yet complementary aspects of his musical vision to Berlin for his Pierre Boulez Saal debut. His duo Musho, with Swedish vocalist Sofia Jernberg, takes diverse folk traditions as its starting point, reimagining songs from Ethiopia, Armenia, Sweden, and other countries to create an unusual and personal sound world. For the evening’s second set, Hawkins and Jernberg are joined by three acclaimed musicians—all bandleaders in their own right—to present the world premiere of newly composed music, commissioned by the Pierre Boulez Saal, in which the hall’s natural acoustics and unique architecture blend with subtle processing and spatial diffusion created by sound designer Matthew Wright. The concert is presented as the kick-off event for and in cooperation with Jazzfest Berlin, which opens November 3.

In cooperation with the Pierre Boulez Saal, Jazzfest Berlin presents an artist talk to introduce this kick-off concert of this year’s festival. Panelists will include Ole Bækhøj (Director, Pierre Boulez Saal), Nadin Deventer (Artistic Director, Jazzfest Berlin), Alexander Hawkins (pianist and composer), Matthias Pees (Director, Berliner Festspiele), and Piotr Turkiewicz (Curator for Improvised Music and Jazz, Pierre Boulez Saal). We hope you will join us for what is sure to be a fascinating and illuminating conversation. The event will take place in English, starting at 4.30 pm in the Pierre Boulez Saal lobby. Admission is free.

In Cooperation with Berliner Festspiele / Jazzfest Berlin