Sylvie Courvoisier – solo

In the past two decades, New York musician Sylvie Courvoisier (1968) has created a distinctive, poetic musical universe, which combines instances of shatter, mirroring, flashing light and mysterious shimmerings in a fascinating way to form a strongly radiant, imaginative whole; all this with a clear, in-depth structure to enable deep delving and far projection.

Courvoisier, one of the core artists of the New York Downtown circle around John Zorn, is one of the most distinctive and interesting younger pianists. She resolutely goes beyond the established styles and genres and operates along the boundaries of refined, compositional specifications, improvisational design and the balancing and refining process within an ensemble. Together with Ikue Mori and Susie Ibarra, two percussionists, she formed the group Mephista. Her duo (RADIO) with violinist Mark Feldman is the source for larger ensembles such as Lonelyville or their quartet including creatively blooming young double bass player Thomas Morgan and the sly, old hand at the drums, Gerry Hemingway.

Courvoisier played on numerous recordings of John Zorn’s Tzadik label as well as on releases of the labels Intakt and ECM. She made her début in 1994 with Sauvagerie Courtois. Her two most recent albums are titled Hotel Du Nord and To Fly To Steal. She performs as a solo artist on Signs and Epigrams.