The ULYSSES Ensemble, created by the ULYSSES Network, is an ephemeral ensemble, that tours five major European contemporary music summer events: IDEA–International Divertimento Ensemble Academy, Fondation Royaumont, ManiFeste, Gaudeamus, IEMA. Thirty young European artists age 18 to 30 have been selected especially for the occasion. During their tour, the ensemble has the opportunity to work with leading conductors and performers.

After the stop in Frankfurt with IEMA-Ensemble in May, in Bobbio and Milan with IDEA/Divertimento Ensemble at the beginning of June, two workshops followed one after the other at IRCAM’s festival ManiFeste 2018, from 18 to 30 June. During these two weeks, the young musicians had the opportunity to rehearse at CENTQUATRE-Paris, an atypical space for free artistic practice, residencies, production and promotion for the public and artists from all over the world.

The 18 selected musicians for the ULYSSES Ensemble stop at ManiFeste-2018 were:
Chloë Abbott, trumpet (United Kingdom), Ettore Biagi, clarinet (Italy), Angela Calvo Rios, oboe (Colombia), Lorenzo Colombo, percussion (Italy), Emmanuelle Fleurot, piano (France), Vincent Kappes, guitar (France), Apolline Kirklar, violin (France), Hannah Miller, horn (Ireland), Florestan Mosser, tuba (France), Jacques Murat, contra bass trombone (France), Alfonso Noriega, viola (Spain), Andres Pacheco, trombone (Spain), Jerry Piipponen, percussion (Finland), Andrew Power, cello (United Kingdom), Gwendolyn Reed, double bass (United Kingdom), Mishi Stern, violin (Australia), Alice Szymanski, flute (France), Melinda Urh, saxophone (Slovenia)

First Workshop with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France 
Monday, June 18 - Saturday, June 23, 2018

Educational Advisor:
Peter Rundel, conductor, musicians from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

This interpretation master class for orchestra offered young musicians from the ULYSSES Ensemble to work alongside musicians from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, rehearsing and performing sketches written by young composers from the academy as well as Hymnen (Dritte Region), a monumental work elaborated by Stockhausen from 1966 to 1969, introducing the musicians to electronics.

The musicians, who already met each other during the first two stops in Germany and Italy, were reunited at their Hotel next to CENTQUATRE on Sunday 17. The next day, all of the 141 ManiFeste academy participants were welcomed at IRCAM. In the afternoon, rehearsals started with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France musicians, the 8 young composers, and maestro Peter Rundel.

After a week of intense work, the concert took place at CENTQUATRE concert hall, on Saturday 23. The first workshop ended with immense applause from the audience, that discovered the 8 new works written by the young composers and had the opportunity to hear Hymnen, the beautiful and rarely interpreted work by Stockhausen.

^{Peter Rundel, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, ULYSSES Ensemble}

^{Chloë Abbott}

^{Andres Pacheco}

^{Franck Bedrossian, Utku Asuroglu}

^{Jerry Piipponen}

Second Workshop with the Ensemble intercontemporain
Monday, June 25 - Saturday, June 30, 2018

Educational Advisor:
Beat Furrer, conductor, musicians from the Ensemble intercontemporain

The Swiss conductor and composer Beat Furrer led a master class for the ULYSSES Ensemble with the complicity of the soloists from the Ensemble intercontemporain who advised the young musicians and performed repertoire works with them:
Edgard Varèse: Intégrales, for 11 wind instruments and 4 percussionists (1923-1925)
Helmut Lachenmann : Zwei Gefühle, Musik mit Leonardo, for a narrator and ensemble (1992)
Beat Furrer: Nuun, for 2 pianos and ensemble of 25 instruments (1995-1996)
Michael Jarrell: Droben Schmettert ein greller Stein, for doublebass, ensemble and electronics (2001)

After a day of rest, the 14 young musicians were joined by 4 additional musicians for this master class. Working side by side with the Ensemble intercomporain musicians a week long was an intense but deeply rewarding opportunity for the musicians who learned a lot next to these specialists of contemporary music, under the baton of maestro Beat Furrer. On top of that, Helmut Lachenmann was there to advice them and to perform in his own piece. Michael Jarrell took also part in the rehearsals of his piece. Surrounded by such incredible personalities and bound by the time spent to rehearse all together, the musicians gave an incredible performance during the festival’s final concert on 30th June, which marked memories. After the concert, the musicians, the academy staff and the invited artists received well-deserved acknowledgements and congratulations during a cocktail party to close their experiences in Paris.

^{Beat Furrer, ULYSSES Ensemble, Ensemble intercontemporain}

^{Beat Furrer, Nicolas Crosse, Alice Belugou, Mishi Stern, Alfonso Noriega, Andrew Power}

^{Helmut Lachenmann, Beat Furrer}

^{Alfonso Noriega, John Stulz}

^{Emmanuelle Fleurot, Helmut Lachenmann}

For most of the ULYSSES Ensemble musicians, the adventure continues

Stop 4: Fondation Royaumont (FR)
From July 15 to 20, 2018
Concert: July 20, 2018 

Stop 5: Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Utrecht (NL) With IEMA
Final concert: September 8, 2018

Photos:
© IRCAM, photo Quentin Chevrier

> Back to Stop 2
Bobbio and Milan