regular news about vocal instant composition ensemble Genetic Choir
Right at this moment, 30+ artists from all over Europe are improvising at Worm in Rotterdam. Researching the use of SPACE, performing and reflecting and performing. Five days and two nights, 2-6 October 2023.
There are two Genetic Choir singers/makers in this current gathering in Rotterdam and Genetic Choir stood at the cradle of this nomadic, peer-to-peer festival of interdisciplinary improvisers.
WhatIIIF? at Worm is opening its doors tomorrow evening:
And you can follow all outcomes of this week’s research via the Open Improvisation Knowledge Base on instantcomposition.com
drawings: live on Monday @WhatIIIF? 2023 by Danielle Davidson
For the spontaneous souls, living in the Netherlands:
Tonight, a Genetic Choir workshop for a mix of singers and instrumentalists as part of the SWEET ANARCHY sessions in Brebl, Nijmegen!
19:00 doors open
19:30 Genetic Orchestra/Choir workshop starts (costs: 10 euro p.p.)
21:00 free impro session starts
Address: Waalbandijk 14d in Nijmegen
See you there or be square! 
Completely unrelated to the previous post, but under the same title , Thomas is giving an online lecture on Genetic Choir practice next week Friday, 29 September, 15:00-17:00.
Invited by CLEA, the Center Leo Apostol for Interdisciplinary Research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Thomas will attempt to describe the ideas and insights gathered in a decennium of researching ‘swarm composing’ with the Genetic Choir Ensemble.
It is also transmitted live in Brussels so if you live there, you can also join an audience on the campus). See all info here.
Zoomlink:Â https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82757798426?pwd=em9sQlJDVjJYTEFRNk01dEJLWGxGUT09
Meeting ID:Â 827 5779 8426
Passcode:Â 122127
“Genetic Choir is a practice of music creation from self-organising principles. It employs human beings (singers) as the agents of instant composition, drawing on principles such as swarm intelligence and emergent behaviour. For the singers, it is an improvisation practice that explores a basic human dilemma: how to be autonomous as well as connected, how to follow your individual, creative intuition but also build meaningful working relationships in the moment, with others? Thirdly, it is a music making method that provides tools for any group of people without a shared musical background to find position and clarity of relationship in a musical space together, without the necessity of agreeing beforehand what ‘music’ exactly is. In over 12 years of exploring this, the Genetic Choir has developed ways of working that attempt to keep human intuition and our fast choice-making abilities active when composing together, while shedding slow choice-making processes related to taste and assumed social rules. Thomas Johannsen, founder and artistic leader of the Genetic Choir, will give an inside look into their practices and share insights related to self-organisation and emergence when applied to music making without a script, score or conductor.”
There is a special workshop coming up, organised by The House of Voice in december:
Thomas will give a masterclass, working one whole weekend with only 6 singers in a concentrated setting on Genetic Choir technique. If you are interested in this, reserve your place quickly…
16+17 december 2023, 10:00 – 17:00 in Amsterdam
Take friend to a Genetic Choir intro workshop after the summer vacation, or join the regular Friday Morning sessions this autumn!
14:00-16:30 uur / 37,- euro / studio De Eester / C. van Eesterenlaan 302, 1019 JR Amsterdam
For everyone curious about their voices and swarm improvising. No specific experience needed, just your voice!
In case you are interested to become part of the Stem&Luister project, this is also your place to get to know us.
More info and reservation, click here.
8 times singing & training with a committed group from 15 september to 8 december
For those who have done a Genetic Choir workshop before and who want more! Intensive training in 8 sessions with a fixed group of singers. Here, we explore the latest cutting edge of vocal swarm training and create beautiful, unexpected music. More info and reservation, click here.
photos in this post by Nellie de Boer
Genetic Choir is the in-flesh experience of a utopian idea: To create the music that any moment asks for – together – without knowing the music beforehand. But if everything is possible, how do you decide what to go for? In Genetic Choir workshops you learn how to sync with each other and navigate smoothly in a swarm full of sound possibilities.
Anyone who would like to experience again – or for the first time – the feeling of being a swarm singer, is very much welcome on the upcoming workhop on 10 June in Amsterdam!
Iedereen die weer eens – of voor het eerst – de ervaring wil maken van zingen als een zwerm zangers op de Genetic Choir manier is van harte uitgenodigd voor deze aankomende workshop!
14:00-16:30 uur / 37,- euro / studio De Eester / C. van Eesterenlaan 302, 1019 JR Amsterdam
Mocht je onderdeel worden van het Stem&Luister project als zanger-vrijwilliger, dan is deze workshop achteraf gratis voor je!
Reserve a place in this workshop via this form.
There’s a Genetic Choir weekend coming up for experienced improvisers who want to deepen their understanding and technique of using Structures and Flow to let new music emerge!
While intuitively, Flow and Structures might seem opposites of each other, they are in fact completely intertwined. Take river deltas and city traffic: Flow creates Structures (all by itself) and Structures create Flow. When improvising together, we can use the same principles and from two side: We can self-impose structures in order to strengthen our flow, or dive happily into free music and become aware of the structures that emerge.
When: whole weekend, 8/9 July, 10:00-16:30
Where: Amsterdam
For whom: improvisers with experience
How much: 139,- euro
To directly reserve a place, click here.
Flow is one of those central words of improvising: when there is no flow and vivid engagement in the moment, up comes thinking, doubt, trying to do it ‘right’ – all the things we want to avoid when creating music on the spot.
Structures, however, seem just as important, even if those structures appear in the moment. We need clarity and a certain definition of the musical landscape in order to deepen our material and give shape to the music, rather than going in all directions at once.
One thing is recognising these emerging structures and working with them in the moment, another is using self-imposed limitations (scores, rules or scripts) for our improvisations. But what sort of ‘extra’ structures work well within improvised performance? Which limitations are energizing, rather than smothering the improvisation or numbing it? Which structures make the currents of improvisation engagingly vivid and increase our flow?
The idea of this workshop is to let you create and undergo many different types of scores and frames and by trying them all discover the workings of a well-designed set-up.
Improvisers and voice adventurers – see you in July! 
Improvisation – Kan iedereen het leren of moet je er talent voor hebben?
Twee afleveringen van de VPRO / NPO Klassiek podcast serie Improvisatie! gaan hierover, met erg leuke bijdragen van tal van Nederlandse improvisatoren. Een heel palet van intrigerende onderwerpen komt langs, en onder andere ook de manier hoe Oosterse filosofie en praktijken hier een rol in kunnen spelen.
Thomas Johannsen sluit zich in de tweede aflevering aan bij saxofoniste Jelske Hoogervorst, die verteld over hoe de Japanse krijgskunst aikido haar essentiële dingen over improviseren leert. Thomas licht toe waarom aikido daarom zo’n groot deel uitmaakt van de training van zangers in het Genetic Choir. Wie erheen wil skippen: het zit rond minuut 27 van de tweede aflevering.
Wie hierdoor nieuwsgierig wordt om ook eens een aikido les mee te maken – kom gewoon eens langs voor een proefles bij de Kishinkai aikido dojo bij Amsterdam Centraal. Of lees eerst hier nog meer over waarom het zo een goede bezigheid is voor improvisatoren.
De betreffende podcast afleveringen zijn hier te beluisteren:
Improvisatie – Kun je het leren? – Episode 1
https://www.nporadio4.nl/podcasts/tussen-de-noten/83565/16-improvisatie-kun-je-het-leren-s07
Improvisatie – Kun je het leren? – Episode 2
https://www.nporadio4.nl/podcasts/tussen-de-noten/83862/17-improvisatie-kun-je-het-leren-2-s07
En ook de rest van de serie is de moeite waard, zoals de episode over vocale improviatie! –> click hier voor het overzicht van alle afleveringen.
The Improvisation podcast series that was created in the wake of 50 years of Improvisation in the Netherlands (of http://www.BIMpro.nl) is continuing to be a rich resource of improvisation topics and thoughts. (unfortunately for non-Dutch speakers not accessible, therefore this blogpost was mainly in Dutch, for a change)
After an inspiring first Round Table Talk Improvisation in November, there will now be a second edition:
On Sunday February 5th, 14:00-16:30
in the ONDERBUIK (Koningsweg 290, 3585LD) in Utrecht.
The first edition was organized last November on the occasion of 50 years of BIM. During the conversations, there was curiosity about the various improvisation initiatives throughout the country and the expressed wish to come together in this form more frequently. Improvisation ensemble and platform BUI therefore invites you to continue the conversation in Utrecht. The UNDERBUIK is a former nuclear bunker on Fort Lunet I and has now been used for a number of years as a musical breeding ground for young Utrecht musicians, managed by the BUI Foundation.
In this second edition we will continue with the themes that have been offered and new themes and perspectives will be addressed. Above all, the conversation is an encounter!
Free entrance, public, musicians, non-musicians, everyone welcome!
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/FrXHbJo2mAvQL6Sr8
(please park on Koningsweg, after the viaduct it is free, or come by public transport!)
Rondetafelgesprek Improvisatie #2
Na een inspirerende eerste gespreksmiddag in november, komt er nu een tweede editie van het Rondetafelgesprek Improvisatie.
Deze is op zondag 5 Februari, 14:00-16:30 in de ONDERBUIK (Koningsweg 290, 3585LD) in Utrecht.
De eerste editie werd vorig jaar november ter gelegenheid van 50jaar BIM georganiseerd. Tijdens de gesprekken kwam naar voren er nieuwsgierigheid is naar de verschillende improvisatie initiatieven door het hele land. Improvisatie ensemble en platform BUI nodigt jullie daarom uit om het gesprek voort te zetten in Utrecht. De ONDERBUIK is een voormalig atoombunker op Fort Lunet I en wordt nu sinds een aantal jaar gebruikt als muzikale broedplaats voor jonge Utrechtse musici, beheerd door Stichting BUI.
In deze tweede editie gaan we verder door op thema’s aanbod zijn gekomen en er worden nieuwe thema’s en invalshoeken aangesneden.
Bovenal is het gesprek een ontmoeting!
Toegang gratis, publiek, musici, non-musici, iedereen welkom!
Locatie: https://goo.gl/maps/FrXHbJo2mAvQL6Sr8
Dear Genetic Choir blog followers,
a Happy New Year to everyone!
Always a good time to look forward and back at the turning of the years. Doing so, I found this picture from six years ago at the beautiful shinto shrine in Tokushima province, Japan, where we performed (and where there was for sure a New Year ritual these days, to appease the kami ).
Here in Amsterdam, we start the year with upcoming workshops being almost full, which is lovely, but maybe there are people who still wanted to join? Here the update for last places:
There is one last place available in the Melody Makers weekend workshop. 21+22 January 2023. More info here.
There are three more places in the Friday Morning Sessions of 9:00-11:00 (eight mornings, starting in February). If you have done a Genetic Choir workshop before, you can reserve your place here.
The later Friday Morning group at 11:30-13:30 is already full!
There are also a few more places in the free Introduction workshop of Genetic Choir singing in the Stem&Luister project: this coming Saturday, 14 January, from 14:00-16:30. For reserving your free place and more info, click here.
The Ensemble has for 2023 already exciting things lined up, amongst which a documentary that we are going to make with Kim Brand and a pilot research about the effects of music in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam and several other partners.
We will update you about all this in the next mailchimp Newsletter, planned for half February!
(if you are not connected to the bigger nieuwsbrieven/newsletters yet, click here.)
Have a good start of your year! 
