Ensemble Contrechamps

Contrechamps is an ensemble based in Geneva, Switzerland, consisting of soloists specialised in creating, developing and performing instrumental music of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Ensemble strives to develop fresh formats such as installation performances, radiophonic concerts, research laboratories or virtual tours. The ensemble is a hybrid, both orchestra and collective, which enables it to adapt to a variety of artistic constraints and to the proposals of the artists it works with. Within this context, Contrechamp’s partnership with the Geneva University of Music is a meaningful collaboration, as it allows its members to remain in touch with the freshest ideas, as well as impart their expertise to coming generations. For over 40 years, Ensemble Contrechamps has been working closely with a large number of composers, conductors and artists. The Ensemble has made over twenty recordings, and has recently released a CD portrait of composer Bryn Harrison in surround sound under the Neu Records label. A similar album is scheduled in 2023 with Chiyoko Szlavnic. The ensemble’s latest record in collaboration with percussion collective Eklekto and dedicated to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians was awarded a Choc by the French magazine Classica.

Photo: Regis Golay