The itinerary
instrumental ensemble

L'itinéraire is one of Europe's leading creative music collectives. From the outset, it has brought together composers and performers to create new music. Over the years, ensemble itinéraire has shared the adventure of several generations of musicians, creating much more than just a repertoire: its name is associated with the spectral music movement. Since its foundation, the ensemble has created hundreds of some of the world's most outstanding works, thanks to musicians of the highest calibre: Grisey, Lévinas, Murail, Dufourt, Tessier, but also Scelsi, Harvey, Romitelli... More than a school, more than a trend, spectral music is above all a musical attitude based on the experience of sound, of listening, to dare to explore all the limits of sound; relying in particular on certain practices originally foreign to scholarly creation (amplification of instruments, use of electric instruments, synthesizers...) then on the electronic music revolution. Ideas that now permeate musical creation the world over. To this day, the itinerary maintains the spirit of adventure that preceded its creation. The collective constantly challenges the practices of musical creation and its transmission; it sheds light on what is already a repertoire, in the light of young composers or benchmark composers from related aesthetics; and it accompanies its concert season with significant theoretical reflection. For its fortieth anniversary in 2013, the itinerary wished to return to the spirit of its origins. The musicians became members of the collective. Proud of its history, the ensemble looks to the future with confidence: more than ever, itinéraire sets out to discover new artistic and sonic territories, transcending customs and borders.
- www.litineraire.fr

TheInternational Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
instrumental ensemble

The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), described by the New York Times as "one of the most accomplished and adventurous groups in new music", is dedicated to rethinking the way music is created and received. With a variable geometry of 35 soloists, from solo to large ensembles, ICE acts as performer, facilitator and educator, helping to advance the music of our time with innovative new works and new strategies for audience participation. ICE redefines concert music by bringing new artistic perspectives and new listeners into the 21st century. Since its foundation in 2001, ICE has premiered over 500 compositions - the majority by emerging composers - in venues ranging from alternative spaces to world-renowned concert halls. (...) ICE has released acclaimed albums on the Nonesuch, Kairos, Bridge, Naxos, Tzadik, New Focus and New Amsterdam labels. ICE has worked closely with conductors Ludovic Morlot, Matthias Pintscher, John Adams and Susanna Mälkki. Since 2012, conductor and percussion soloist Steven Schick has been ICE's artist-in-residence. In 2011, with principal support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, ICE created the ICElab program, which places ICE performers in close collaboration with emerging composers to develop works that push the boundaries of musical exploration. (...) ICE's commitment to building a diverse society, a public engaged with the music of our time, inspired "The Listening Room", an educational initiative for public schools that do not include an arts curriculum. Through collective composition and graphic notation, ICE musicians lead students in the creation of new musical works, nurturing creative collaboration skills and building an appreciation of musical experimentation.
- www.iceorg.org