Editorial by Christian Sebille, Director of GMEM

What do a chavrette, a pendulum, a church organ, a model train, a spinet, and the Percussions de Strasbourg have in common?

This connection is forged through the exploration of contemporary music, blending eclectic ideas, a wealth of experimentation, and curiosity. The ensemble La Nòvia, featuring a variety of traditional instruments (chavrette or bagpipes) and contemporary ones (electric and electronic guitar), invites us to rediscover Conlon Nancarrow, the great inventor of mechanical music, put into perspective by electronic musician Jessica Ekomane.

This flagship program of the festival explores the diversity of musical and sound creation, drawing on the work of a seminal 20th-century composer and a varied and original array of instruments, comprising a wide range of both traditional and contemporary instruments.

We have been exploring this connection between tradition and creativity for years. Is it possible to create without culture, without references, without constraints? We believe not, and that true freedom lies in the choice of references. The bagpipe is no more respectable than the piano, the solo no more so than the orchestra, electronic music no more so than acoustic. There is no nobility in creation; only the power of the idea matters.

This connection will unfold throughout the aesthetic journey, filled with unlikely discoveries and unexpected surprises. Who is calling me? Who is whispering? Or who is singing? 

We—artists and audiences alike—will forge this connection together as we journey through the Propagations festival.

Christian Sebille
Director of GMEM