2015

November 26-28, 2015 | echoraum

In 2015 we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the festival shut up and listen! — with a special edition acknowledging the usual principles of transdisciplinarity, networking and stylistic plurality, yet also taking critical inventory of the past festival decade. Aside from cutting-edge art music and sound art, we listen with curiosity outside the box, to an avant-pop band and a world music duo. Featuring a photo exhibition and a round table with current and previous curators and cooperation partners, we reflect upon preceding festival editions and speculate about the future.

With his Beer Ceremony performance, festival initiator Bernhard Gál invites attendees to satisfy their thirst in a sonically interesting way, followed by composer Philip Corner’s Carrot Chew Performance, offering mysterious orange-coloured vegetables to the audience. Joined by his partner Phoebe Neville, Corner proceeds with the duo performance Understanding and presents the world premiere of Agnesia – Homage To Agnes Martin. The first evening concludes with a performance by the Paetzold bass recorder sextet Plenum. Day 2 kicks off with a solo gig by the Hungarian sound artist and violinist Zsolt Sörés, followed by the Viennese avantgarde band Pabst, and an oriental world music duo featuring the oud player and singer Salah Ammo and the percussionist Peter Gabis. All concerts are accompanied by site-specific light environments conjured by visual artist starsky. Further perspectives open up in introductory talks and the informal interaction between all participants, favored by the intimate, yet highly focused listening environment of the echoraum. Saturday’s morning session features a panel discussion with Belma Bešlić-Gál, Bernhard Gál, Ernst Reitermaier and Werner Korn, followed by the traditional festival brunch.