For more than three decades, vocalist Lauren Newton and double bassist Joëlle Léandre have shared a profound artistic collaboration. Through numerous concerts and recordings, they have developed a musical language shaped by radical openness, sonic curiosity, and a deep sensitivity to the present moment.
Whenever Newton and Léandre meet, music emerges that defies predictability. Voice and double bass engage as equal partners in a vivid dialogue – at times delicate and exploratory, at others eruptive and full of energy – always sustained by an exceptional sense of form, timing, and attentive listening. Out of the moment arise sound worlds of remarkable intensity, humor, poetry, and surprise.
Lauren Newton is widely regarded as one of the most influential voices in international improvised music. Born in Oregon and based in Europe since the 1970s, she has significantly expanded the possibilities of vocal improvisation and developed a highly distinctive sonic language. She became known through her work with the Vienna Art Orchestra and Vocal Summit, as well as collaborations with Anthony Braxton, Aki Takase, Urs Leimgruber, Peter Kowald, and Joëlle Léandre. As a composer, performer, and educator, she has inspired generations of musicians. In 2025, she received the Albert Mangelsdorff Prize, Germany’s most prestigious award for jazz and improvised music, in recognition of her lifetime achievement.
Joëlle Léandre has been one of the leading figures in improvised and contemporary music for decades. The French double bassist, composer, and improviser has profoundly expanded the expressive possibilities of her instrument, developing a unique artistic practice in which double bass, voice, movement, and stage presence form an inseparable whole. She has collaborated with artists including John Cage, Giacinto Scelsi, Derek Bailey, Anthony Braxton, George Lewis, Evan Parker, Irène Schweizer, Maggie Nicols, Fred Frith, and John Zorn. Her extensive body of work comprises more than 200 recordings, alongside an international career as a soloist and ensemble musician. In 2023, she was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at New York’s Vision Festival in recognition of her outstanding artistic contribution.
19:00–19:45 soundwalk with Thomas Gerwin
