Concert series Improvisation International
Isabelle Duthoit (FR): voice, clarinet
Yuko Oshima (JP/FR): drums, percussion
Soizic Lebrat (FR): cello
The trio of clarinettist and vocalist Isabelle Duthoit, percussionist Yuko Oshima and cellist Soizic Lebrat works in the tradition of free improvised music. A fine sense of sound and slow, subtle lines of development characterise the ideally complementing interplay of these three outstanding musicians. At the same time, prudence and boisterous energy are not mutually exclusive. As is generally the case in improvisation, this trio also depends to a large extent on the personalities of the players, who develop their own expression while at the same time having the ability to congenially engage with the characteristics and impulses of the others. Their playing seems to follow a secret, unspoken dramaturgy. Listening to each other and giving the sounds their space is crucial: music as a non-standardised ritual, born of the moment.
Isabelle Duthoit was classically trained. She turned to contemporary music at an early age, working with various ensembles and composers. Her preferred field of activity is free improvisation. From 1995 to 2005 she dedicated herself to improvised music by founding the festival Fruits de Mhère Les Champs de l’Improvisation with Jacques Di Donato. Her unique vocal technique, developed from an early fascination with the voice, could be described as a language before language. In 2008, she was a resident at the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto (Japan), where she created a solo vocal performance in connection with the sound world of Noh and Bunraku theatre. From 1997 to 2012, she taught clarinet and improvisation at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental in Evry (Essonne).
Yuko Oshima started making music in Japan at the age of 18. She discovered free noise rock and joined the group Gakusei-Jikken-Shitsu, which catapulted her into the Japanese avant-garde scene. She collaborates with contemporary butôh dancers, theatre groups and improvising musicians. In 2000, she moved to France to study improvisation and contemporary music at the École des Percussions de Strasbourg and the Conservatoire de Strasbourg. Since then she has worked with musicians from the jazz and improvisation scene. She composes and performs music for stage, film and theatre.
Trained as a classical musician (1st prize at the Conservatoire) and music historian (doctorate at the University), Soizic Lebrat has expanded her performance practice to include improvisation and composition. She has also designed and realised musical research and project spaces (Ope1000, La Fabrique de Musique, Cellule de Bass, Continuum) and performative installations (Amours d’Enfance, Double Frictional Wheel, olos uelB/Bleu solo). She performs as a soloist (Bleu solo) and is frequently involved in musical and transdisciplinary collaborations.
Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KQrWK-kMC4
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