BIOGRAPHY
Trio Abstrakt is a declaration of love for new chamber music. With the highest precision and dedication, the ensemble has been working on sophisticated contemporary chamber music from the last three decades for over eight years.
Trio Abstrakt is the musical home of musicians Salim(a) Javaid (saxophone), Marlies Debacker (piano) and Alexandre Ferreira Silva (percussion). Firmly anchored in the chamber music tradition yet always in dialogue with the present, the ensemble pursues the goal of making “music of today” resonate.
Given their exciting interpretations, sensitive playing and their preference for complex, intricate and multi-layered music, it is not surprising that the musicians are the dedicatees of new works by renowned composers such as Pierluigi Billone, Franck Bedrossian, Isabel Mundry, Giorgio Netti, Michael Edwards, Alberto Posadas, and many others.
The “modern” instrumentation of saxophone, piano, and percussion allows the ensemble to explore diverse musical styles; thus, the compositions in the ensemble’s repertoire often incorporate influences from improvised, electronic, classical, rock, and jazz music. In addition, the musicians are constantly researching and expanding their repertoire of sounds.
Trio Abstrakt brings together the entire saxophone family (from sopranino to bass saxophone), an extensive range of percussion instruments (from orchestral and traditional to self-built instruments and objects), and the grand piano (as well as electronic keyboard instruments), thus creating a rich pool of sound possibilities available to composers.
An important part of Trio Abstrakt’s work is commissioning composers and developing new concert formats. In recent years, Trio Abstrakt has launched three new concert series: In »spotlight«, a single composer dedicates a full-length work to the trio in the form of an immersive chamber music experience that blends music theater, electronics, and chamber concert. In »confluences«, up to three composers create a new, hour-long work through a collaborative process. The panel discussion and concert format »chambers« presents chamber music alongside a thematically related panel featuring the evening’s composers and guests from the music scene.
The ensemble performs at festivals and international institutions of contemporary music such as the Biennale di Venezia, Milano Musica / Teatro alla Scala Milano, Acht Brücken Köln / Klaus-von-Bismarck-Saal at WDR Cologne, NOW! Festival at the Philharmonie Essen, Biennale Aktueller Musik Bremen, March Music Days Ruse (Bulgaria), Klangzeit Münster, Impuls Festival Graz, Mozartfest Würzburg, ZKM Karlsruhe, IAMIC Conference 2022, Stadtgarten Köln, Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, aDevantgarde Festival Munich and Open Music Graz.
Trio Abstrakt studied as a chamber music ensemble in the Excellence program “Konzertexamen” under Prof. Barbara Maurer at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.
The ensemble has been chosen for the InSzene program of Podium Gegenwart / Deutscher Musikrat and is currently being supported by the Ensembleförderung NRW and the “Manfred und Ursula Müller-Stiftung”.
Trio Abstrakt is the answer to those who are hungry for sound that turns into the art of listening. They gather the legacy of the noblest chamber music to put it at the service of discovery.
[...] The idea for the work was born while listening to the exceptional individual and collective talents of the Abstrakt Trio in concert and from the memory of that Being who appeared to me through them - together but distinct - that I have always looked for in music.
[...] I think it depends on the fact that you are three soloists with a passionate experience, and with a broad interest. From here certainly comes your original discipline of considering every sound and every musical act as a unique and decisive instant, and managing to make it become with awareness, intelligence and sensitivity the essential part of a larger body, the piece. The same happens when you interpret music in a duo and, to the highest degree, in your Abstrakt Trio. Here a small miracle happens: it is no longer a question of 2 or 3 simple musical parts, but of parts of a single body, where each one acts, thanks to the richness that derives from what you have developed in your work as soloists, and together they interact as three living entities, without losing anything of their individual depth. [...]
ABOUT THE MEMBERS
MARLIES DEBACKER
Marlies Debacker (she/her) is a Belgian pianist and performer of contemporary, classical and improvised music based in Cologne. An internationally acclaimed and demanded pianist, Marlies regularly performs as a soloist, ensemble and improvising musician with distinguished ensembles as well as with her own projects.
Both as a soloist and a chamber musician she has worked with numerous renowned composers, creates and curates programmes and new concert formats. In her most recent solo program, Marlies explores the piano in interaction with electronics and presents works by Franck Bedrossian, Marco Momi, Milica Djordjević, Chiyoko Szlavnics and Jonathan Harvey.
Marlies does extensive research on the sound possibilities of her instrument with a focus on resonance, pedal work and inside piano playing thus allowing her to move between the conventional sound of a piano and various percussive and pseudo-electronic sounds. Apart from playing the piano she often performs on vintage keyboards as well.
SALIM(A) JAVAID
Salim/Salim(a) Javaid (they/them) is a Czech-Pakistani saxophonist and improviser based in Cologne.
Salim(a) works in numerous contexts, for example as a soloist or in chamber music formations and ensembles as well as at the interfaces of different genres and playing styles (composed & improvised music) and is intensively involved with extended playing techniques on the saxophone with a special focus on microtonality and multiphonics.
As a performer of contemporary music, soloist and member/founder of Trio Abstrakt and Duo Galeano/Javaid, they premiered a number of new works and are in the process of developing exciting new projects and concert formats. Salim(a) either has or will premiere new works by Pierluigi Billone, Giorgio Netti, Isabel Mundry, Franck Bedrossian, Alberto Posadas, Evan Johnson, Milica Djordjevic, Michael Edwards, James Erber, Sam Hayden and many more.
ALEXANDRE FERREIRA SILVA
Alexandre Ferreira Silva will take over as new percussionist of Trio Abstrakt as of season 2025.
Alexandre Ferreira Silva (he/him) is a Portuguese percussionist deeply dedicated to the development of contemporary music, both as a soloist and in chamber music. Focused on expanding the repertoire for solo percussion and chamber music, Alexandre continuously searches new ways to approach the wide range of instruments available to percussionists. He has won recognition in various competitions such as the 2nd Prize at the 2023 Concours Nicati and a 3rd place at the 2019 Young Musicians Award for Percussion in Portugal, to name a few.
In solo and chamber music Alexandre will and has premiere works by Alberto Posadas, Carlos Guedes, Hugo Vasco Reis, Isabel Mundry, João Pedro Oliveira, Kelley Sheehan, Luís Antunes Pena, Maurizio Azzan, and others.
Alexandre has collaborated and participated with many renowned festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Darmstädter Ferienkurse and groups/orchestras such as Drumming GP, Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and Basel Sinfonieorchester.
ABOUT THE MEMBERS
MARLIES DEBACKER
Marlies Debacker (she/her) is a Belgian pianist and performer of contemporary, classical and improvised music based in Cologne. An internationally acclaimed and demanded pianist, Marlies regularly performs as a soloist, ensemble and improvising musician with distinguished ensembles as well as with her own projects.
Both as a soloist and a chamber musician she has worked with numerous renowned composers, creates and curates programmes and new concert formats. In her most recent solo program, Marlies explores the piano in interaction with electronics and presents works by Franck Bedrossian, Marco Momi, Milica Djordjević, Chiyoko Szlavnics and Jonathan Harvey.
Marlies does extensive research on the sound possibilities of her instrument with a focus on resonance, pedal work and inside piano playing thus allowing her to move between the conventional sound of a piano and various percussive and pseudo-electronic sounds. Apart from playing the piano she often performs on vintage keyboards as well.
SALIM(A) JAVAID
Salim/Salim(a) Javaid (they/them) is a Czech-Pakistani saxophonist and improviser based in Cologne.
Salim(a) works in numerous contexts, for example as a soloist or in chamber music formations and ensembles as well as at the interfaces of different genres and playing styles (composed & improvised music) and is intensively involved with extended playing techniques on the saxophone with a special focus on microtonality and multiphonics.
As a performer of contemporary music, soloist and member/founder of Trio Abstrakt and Duo Galeano/Javaid, they premiered a number of new works and are in the process of developing exciting new projects and concert formats. Salim(a) either has or will premiere new works by Pierluigi Billone, Giorgio Netti, Isabel Mundry, Franck Bedrossian, Alberto Posadas, Evan Johnson, Milica Djordjevic, Michael Edwards, James Erber, Sam Hayden and many more.
ALEXANDRE FERREIRA SILVA
Alexandre Ferreira Silva will take over as new percussionist of Trio Abstrakt as of season 2025.
As a percussionist and performer, Alexandre is deeply dedicated to the development of contemporary music and has won recognition in various prestigious competitions. Notable achievements include the 2nd Prize at the 2023 Concours Nicati, a 3rd place at the 2019 Young Musicians Award for Percussion in Portugal, the 2020 Helena Sá e Costa award, and a 1st prize for Snare Drum at the 2017 Tomarimbando International Festival.
With a diverse portfolio, Alexandre has collaborated and participated with many renowned festivals and musical groups, such as the Donaueschinger Musiktage, Darmstädter Ferienkurse, Drumming GP, Portuguese Chamber Orchestra, Basel Sinfonieorchester, Camerata Variabile, Dresden Festival Orchestra and Neue Philharmonie München. He is a reinforcement for the Orquestra Filarmonia das Beiras. He was also selected to be a part of the Youth Portuguese Orchestra (JOP) in the 2014/2015 season.
INSTAGRAM FEED
TRIO
ABSTRAKT
BIOGRAPHY
Trio Abstrakt is a declaration of love for new chamber music. With the highest precision and dedication, the ensemble has been working on sophisticated contemporary chamber music from the last three decades for over eight years.
Trio Abstrakt is the musical home of musicians Salim(a) Javaid (saxophone), Marlies Debacker (piano) and Alexandre Ferreira Silva (percussion). Firmly anchored in the chamber music tradition yet always in dialogue with the present, the ensemble pursues the goal of making “music of today” resonate.
Given their exciting interpretations, sensitive playing and their preference for complex, intricate and multi-layered music, it is not surprising that the musicians are the dedicatees of new works by renowned composers such as Pierluigi Billone, Franck Bedrossian, Isabel Mundry, Giorgio Netti, Michael Edwards, Alberto Posadas, and many others.
The “modern” instrumentation of saxophone, piano, and percussion allows the ensemble to explore diverse musical styles; thus, the compositions in the ensemble’s repertoire often incorporate influences from improvised, electronic, classical, rock, and jazz music. In addition, the musicians are constantly researching and expanding their repertoire of sounds.
Trio Abstrakt brings together the entire saxophone family (from sopranino to bass saxophone), an extensive range of percussion instruments (from orchestral and traditional to self-built instruments and objects), and the grand piano (as well as electronic keyboard instruments), thus creating a rich pool of sound possibilities available to composers.
An important part of Trio Abstrakt’s work is commissioning composers and developing new concert formats. In recent years, Trio Abstrakt has launched three new concert series: In »spotlight«, a single composer dedicates a full-length work to the trio in the form of an immersive chamber music experience that blends music theater, electronics, and chamber concert. In »confluences«, up to three composers create a new, hour-long work through a collaborative process. The panel discussion and concert format »chambers« presents chamber music alongside a thematically related panel featuring the evening’s composers and guests from the music scene.
The ensemble performs at festivals and international institutions of contemporary music such as the Biennale di Venezia, Milano Musica / Teatro alla Scala Milano, Acht Brücken Köln / Klaus-von-Bismarck-Saal at WDR Cologne, NOW! Festival at the Philharmonie Essen, Biennale Aktueller Musik Bremen, March Music Days Ruse (Bulgaria), Klangzeit Münster, Impuls Festival Graz, Mozartfest Würzburg, ZKM Karlsruhe, IAMIC Conference 2022, Stadtgarten Köln, Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, aDevantgarde Festival Munich and Open Music Graz.
Trio Abstrakt studied as a chamber music ensemble in the Excellence program “Konzertexamen” under Prof. Barbara Maurer at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen.
The ensemble has been chosen for the InSzene program of Podium Gegenwart / Deutscher Musikrat and is currently being supported by the Ensembleförderung NRW and the “Manfred und Ursula Müller-Stiftung”.
PRESS
Trio Abstrakt is the answer to those who are hungry for sound that turns into the art of listening. They gather the legacy of the noblest chamber music to put it at the service of discovery.
[...] The idea for the work was born while listening to the exceptional individual and collective talents of the Abstrakt Trio in concert and from the memory of that Being who appeared to me through them - together but distinct - that I have always looked for in music.
[...] I think it depends on the fact that you are three soloists with a passionate experience, and with a broad interest. From here certainly comes your original discipline of considering every sound and every musical act as a unique and decisive instant, and managing to make it become with awareness, intelligence and sensitivity the essential part of a larger body, the piece. The same happens when you interpret music in a duo and, to the highest degree, in your Abstrakt Trio. Here a small miracle happens: it is no longer a question of 2 or 3 simple musical parts, but of parts of a single body, where each one acts, thanks to the richness that derives from what you have developed in your work as soloists, and together they interact as three living entities, without losing anything of their individual depth. [...]
MEMBERS
MARLIES DEBACKER
Marlies Debacker (she/her) is a Belgian pianist and performer of contemporary, classical and improvised music based in Cologne. An internationally acclaimed and demanded pianist, Marlies regularly performs as a soloist, ensemble and improvising musician with distinguished ensembles as well as with her own projects.
Both as a soloist and a chamber musician she has worked with numerous renowned composers, creates and curates programmes and new concert formats. In her most recent solo program, Marlies explores the piano in interaction with electronics and presents works by Franck Bedrossian, Marco Momi, Milica Djordjević, Chiyoko Szlavnics and Jonathan Harvey.
Marlies does extensive research on the sound possibilities of her instrument with a focus on resonance, pedal work and inside piano playing thus allowing her to move between the conventional sound of a piano and various percussive and pseudo-electronic sounds. Apart from playing the piano she often performs on vintage keyboards as well.
SALIM(A) JAVAID
Salim/Salim(a) Javaid (they/them) is a Czech-Pakistani saxophonist and improviser based in Cologne.
Salim(a) works in numerous contexts, for example as a soloist or in chamber music formations and ensembles as well as at the interfaces of different genres and playing styles (composed & improvised music) and is intensively involved with extended playing techniques on the saxophone with a special focus on microtonality and multiphonics.
As a performer of contemporary music, soloist and member/founder of Trio Abstrakt and Duo Galeano/Javaid, they premiered a number of new works and are in the process of developing exciting new projects and concert formats. Salim(a) either has or will premiere new works by Pierluigi Billone, Giorgio Netti, Isabel Mundry, Franck Bedrossian, Alberto Posadas, Evan Johnson, Milica Djordjevic, Michael Edwards, James Erber, Sam Hayden and many more.
ALEXANDRE FERREIRA SILVA
Alexandre Ferreira Silva will take over as new percussionist of Trio Abstrakt as of season 2025.
Alexandre Ferreira Silva (he/him) is a Portuguese percussionist deeply dedicated to the development of contemporary music, both as a soloist and in chamber music. Focused on expanding the repertoire for solo percussion and chamber music, Alexandre continuously searches new ways to approach the wide range of instruments available to percussionists. He has won recognition in various competitions such as the 2nd Prize at the 2023 Concours Nicati and a 3rd place at the 2019 Young Musicians Award for Percussion in Portugal, to name a few.
In solo and chamber music Alexandre will and has premiere works by Alberto Posadas, Carlos Guedes, Hugo Vasco Reis, Isabel Mundry, João Pedro Oliveira, Kelley Sheehan, Luís Antunes Pena, Maurizio Azzan, and others.
Alexandre has collaborated and participated with many renowned festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Darmstädter Ferienkurse and groups/orchestras such as Drumming GP, Portuguese Chamber Orchestra and Basel Sinfonieorchester.
INSTAGRAM FEED
