NYKY Ensemble RECHERCHE: side by side
NYKY Ensemble and Ensemble Recherche, conducted by David Claudio, perform side by side at Musica nova Helsinki 2025
The NYKY Ensemble, Sibelius Academy’s cutting-edge contemporary music group, joins forces with the world-renowned Ensemble Recherche in an inspiring, boundary-pushing concert, conducted by David Claudio, at Musica nova Helsinki 2025. This collaboration brings Recherche’s expertise in New Music to the next generation of Finnish musicians, providing coaching to the NYKY Ensemble and offering invaluable insights into interpreting complex contemporary repertoire.
The evening’s program will present a diverse array of New Music perspectives, showcasing landmark compositions by artists such as Salvatore Sciarrino and Carola Bauckholt, and will include two Finnish premieres: Alex Paxton’s Scrunchy Touch Sweetly to Fall and Bára Gísladóttir’s Music to Accompany Your Sweet Splatter Dreams. The side-by-side performance celebrates the collaborative spirit of Musica Nova and the artistic rigor that defines both ensembles.
Ensemble Recherche’s visit and activities in Finland are supported by the Goethe-Institut.
Programme
Bára Gísladóttir – Music to Accompany Your Sweet Splatter Dreams (2019), Finnish premiere
Carola Bauckholt – Schlammflocke (2010)
(NYKY Ensemble)
Intermission, 15 minutes
Salvatore Sciarrino – Fanofania (2010)
Alex Paxton – Scrunchy Touch Sweetly to Fall (2023), Finnish premiere
(NYKY Ensemble & Ensemble Recherche)
Performers
David Claudio, Conductor
Ensemble Recherche
Anja Clift, Flute and Piccolo
Shizuyo Oka, Clarinet and Contrabass clarinet
Adam Woodward, Violin
Åsa Åkerberg, Cello
NYKY Ensemble
Franziska Fundelić, Flute and Piccolo
Jānis Vītols, Flute and Piccolo
Soniya Rakhmatullina, Oboe and Cor anglais
Juuso Björkroth, Clarinet
Gracia Ortega Navarro, Clarinet and Bass clarinet
Aaro Lehtovaara, Bassoon
Iida Ranta-Nilkku, Horn
Jere-Pekka Laitinen, Trumpet
Shunyang Fu, Trombone
Emma Vasala, Trombone
Jack Archibald, Tuba
Joachim Besse, Piano
Laura Mehmeti, Piano
Alexandre Shubitidze, Piano
Eero Tekoniemi, Percussion
Tiia Toivanen, Percussion
Viljami Kemppinen, Violin
Juliana Pöyry, Violin
Hafrun Bjornsdottir, Viola
Grettel Eerik, Viola
Kaisa Suninen, Cello
John Claffey, Doublebass
Ensemble Recherche, Music coaching
Sirje Ruohtula, Lighting technician
Jon-Patrik Kuhlefelt, Audio engineer
Libero Mureddu, Intendent of the NYKY Ensemble and additional sound engineering
Jaakko Kilpeläinen, Producer of the NYKY Ensemble
Ensemble Recherche
Founded in 1985, Ensemble Recherche has dedicated itself to the new and unknown ever since, premiering over 1,000 works and releasing more than 60 recordings. Comprising nine internationally acclaimed soloists, the Freiburg-based ensemble thrives on experimentation and collective creativity. Their dedication and individual contributions have established them as one of the leading forces in contemporary music for an astonishing four decades.
Renowned for their performances at prestigious European festivals such as the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, the Venice Biennale, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the ensemble has also toured internationally, including Israel, Japan, China, Russia, the Americas, and beyond. In Freiburg, they highlight the latest developments in contemporary music and new voices from a diverse array of composers in their own subscription concert series. The ensemble earned the City of Freiburg’s Reinhold Schneider Prize in 2018.
Ensemble Recherche’s collaborations with both young and established composers, including figures like Helmut Lachenmann and Wolfgang Rihm, have greatly influenced the contemporary music scene. Through educational initiatives such as the long-standing “Class Work” project, they share their expertise with composition students worldwide. They also engage younger audiences through youth projects, children’s concerts, and workshops, fostering a culture of sensitive listening and a joyful approach to complexity.
Since 2012, the ensemble has shared headquarters with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra at the Ensemble House Freiburg, continuing to innovate and inspire as they shape the future of contemporary music.
NYKY Ensemble
NYKY Ensemble is a contemporary music group of Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, which serves as a forum for contemporary music projects and provides perspectives on the trends and techniques of our time, such as expanded playing techniques, live electronics, microtonality, minimalism or cross-disciplinary artistic cooperation. The composition of the ensemble depends on the pieces to be presented at any given time, and the visiting supervisor in each concert period is a musician or ensemble specialising in contemporary music.
Musica nova Helsinki
The concert is part of the Musica nova Helsinki festival. Musica nova Helsinki is Finland’s largest contemporary music event and takes place from February 5 to 15, 2025.
Learn more about the festival!
Further information: Jaakko Kilpeläinen, jaakko.kilpelainen@uniarts.fi
The NYKY Ensemble, Sibelius Academy’s cutting-edge contemporary music group, joins forces with the world-renowned Ensemble Recherche in an inspiring, boundary-pushing concert, conducted by David Claudio, at Musica nova Helsinki 2025. This collaboration brings Recherche’s expertise in New Music to the next generation of Finnish musicians, providing coaching to the NYKY Ensemble and offering invaluable insights into interpreting complex contemporary repertoire.
The evening’s program will present a diverse array of New Music perspectives, showcasing landmark compositions by artists such as Salvatore Sciarrino and Carola Bauckholt, and will include two Finnish premieres: Alex Paxton’s Scrunchy Touch Sweetly to Fall and Bára Gísladóttir’s Music to Accompany Your Sweet Splatter Dreams. The side-by-side performance celebrates the collaborative spirit of Musica Nova and the artistic rigor that defines both ensembles.
Ensemble Recherche’s visit and activities in Finland are supported by the Goethe-Institut.
Programme
Bára Gísladóttir – Music to Accompany Your Sweet Splatter Dreams (2019), Finnish premiere
Carola Bauckholt – Schlammflocke (2010)
(NYKY Ensemble)
Intermission, 15 minutes
Salvatore Sciarrino – Fanofania (2010)
Alex Paxton – Scrunchy Touch Sweetly to Fall (2023), Finnish premiere
(NYKY Ensemble & Ensemble Recherche)
Performers
David Claudio, Conductor
Ensemble Recherche
Anja Clift, Flute and Piccolo
Shizuyo Oka, Clarinet and Contrabass clarinet
Adam Woodward, Violin
Åsa Åkerberg, Cello
NYKY Ensemble
Franziska Fundelić, Flute and Piccolo
Jānis Vītols, Flute and Piccolo
Soniya Rakhmatullina, Oboe and Cor anglais
Juuso Björkroth, Clarinet
Gracia Ortega Navarro, Clarinet and Bass clarinet
Aaro Lehtovaara, Bassoon
Iida Ranta-Nilkku, Horn
Jere-Pekka Laitinen, Trumpet
Shunyang Fu, Trombone
Emma Vasala, Trombone
Jack Archibald, Tuba
Joachim Besse, Piano
Laura Mehmeti, Piano
Alexandre Shubitidze, Piano
Eero Tekoniemi, Percussion
Tiia Toivanen, Percussion
Viljami Kemppinen, Violin
Juliana Pöyry, Violin
Hafrun Bjornsdottir, Viola
Grettel Eerik, Viola
Kaisa Suninen, Cello
John Claffey, Doublebass
Ensemble Recherche, Music coaching
Sirje Ruohtula, Lighting technician
Jon-Patrik Kuhlefelt, Audio engineer
Libero Mureddu, Intendent of the NYKY Ensemble and additional sound engineering
Jaakko Kilpeläinen, Producer of the NYKY Ensemble
Ensemble Recherche
Founded in 1985, Ensemble Recherche has dedicated itself to the new and unknown ever since, premiering over 1,000 works and releasing more than 60 recordings. Comprising nine internationally acclaimed soloists, the Freiburg-based ensemble thrives on experimentation and collective creativity. Their dedication and individual contributions have established them as one of the leading forces in contemporary music for an astonishing four decades.
Renowned for their performances at prestigious European festivals such as the Salzburg and Lucerne Festivals, the Venice Biennale, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the ensemble has also toured internationally, including Israel, Japan, China, Russia, the Americas, and beyond. In Freiburg, they highlight the latest developments in contemporary music and new voices from a diverse array of composers in their own subscription concert series. The ensemble earned the City of Freiburg’s Reinhold Schneider Prize in 2018.
Ensemble Recherche’s collaborations with both young and established composers, including figures like Helmut Lachenmann and Wolfgang Rihm, have greatly influenced the contemporary music scene. Through educational initiatives such as the long-standing “Class Work” project, they share their expertise with composition students worldwide. They also engage younger audiences through youth projects, children’s concerts, and workshops, fostering a culture of sensitive listening and a joyful approach to complexity.
Since 2012, the ensemble has shared headquarters with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra at the Ensemble House Freiburg, continuing to innovate and inspire as they shape the future of contemporary music.
NYKY Ensemble
NYKY Ensemble is a contemporary music group of Uniarts Helsinki’s Sibelius Academy, which serves as a forum for contemporary music projects and provides perspectives on the trends and techniques of our time, such as expanded playing techniques, live electronics, microtonality, minimalism or cross-disciplinary artistic cooperation. The composition of the ensemble depends on the pieces to be presented at any given time, and the visiting supervisor in each concert period is a musician or ensemble specialising in contemporary music.
Musica nova Helsinki
The concert is part of the Musica nova Helsinki festival. Musica nova Helsinki is Finland’s largest contemporary music event and takes place from February 5 to 15, 2025.
Learn more about the festival!
Further information: Jaakko Kilpeläinen, jaakko.kilpelainen@uniarts.fi