Scottish saxophonist Raymond MacDonald comes to town for an improvised encounter with leading musicians from the Helsinki scene: two sets of music from solo to quartet with Raoul Björkenheim (guitar), Livia Schweizer (flutes), and Sergio Castrillón (cello)

19:00
Musta Kissa Bar
Suggested Donation €8-15

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About:

RAYMOND MACDONALD is a Scottish saxophonist, composer and Professor of Music Psychology and Improvisation at the University of Edinburgh. His work explores the boundaries between improvisation and composition, with a particular focus on collaborative creativity. A founder member of the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, he has performed, recorded and toured internationally with leading improvisers including Marilyn Crispell, George Lewis, Evan Parker and Jim O’Rourke. He has released more than 80 CDs and composed music for film, television, theatre and art installations. His academic research focuses on improvisation, musical identities, music psychology, health and wellbeing, and music education. He is also the co-author of The Art of Becoming.
https://www.raymondmacdonald.co.uk/

RAOUL BJÖRKENHEIM is a Finnish-American guitarist and composer who has been creating original music for the past four decades living in New York City and Helsinki, where he is presently based. Describing his on-going work as investigative guitarism, he is best known for an expressionistic and lyrical guitar style. Björkenheim’s eclectic discography numbers 50+ albums, ranging from ambient soundscapes to visceral freejazz, from duo to big band. His large-scale works for symphony orchestra have yet to be recorded, and he has also composed scores for over ten films and dance productions.
https://raoulbjorkenheim.com/

SERGIO CASTRILLÓN is a Colombian-Finnish cello performer and composer working in the fields of experimental music and improvisation. His work displays the connection between the traditional and the contemporary, using elements from different music and sound traditions, as well as all sorts of electronic devices. His music has been performed all over Europe, The Americas, Australia and Japan.
https://sergiocastrillon.com/

LIVIA SCHWEIZER (b.1994) is a flutist, improvisor, educator and artistic researcher based in Helsinki. She is known for her interest in improvisation and non-conventional music notation as a tool of bringing together creative souls from different backgrounds, ages and cultures. Since moving to Helsinki Livia has been working as a versatile freelancer with many contemporary chamber ensembles, and is one of the founders of the Earth Ears Ensemble, a Helsinki-based group dedicated to performing new music written by lesser-known composers.
https://liviaschweizer.com/