Opposite Editorial: Alejandra Luciana Cárdenas (a.k.a. Ale Hop) / Bettina Wackernagel

Dear readers,

As we continue to deal with the pandemic's aftermath, Man-made catastrophe and its ever-accelerating pace has eclipsed our longings for certainty. In these dire circumstances, the possibility of being-with each other in music spaces is of great relief because music is our reliable home—one that can hold us together and become a living force for solidarity, subversion, and expression. Paradoxically, the inertia brought about by the pandemic distanced us from these encounters as much as it confronted us with the urgency of transformation. Above all, it is urgently needed as a tool to face up to these destructive geopolitical landscapes. We believe it is possible (and necessary) to bring this lesson back to the stage.

Holding onto this spirit, here are some recommendations for music exchanges in the coming months.

May and June bring us two Kontraklang concerts. The first features LOOKOUT and Frauke Aulbert on the 8th of May, while the other one looks toward »Montréal and Beyond« with Ensemble Paramirabo, Gordon Monahan, Being Five and John Oswald on the 4th and 5th of June. The industrial landscape of Berlin Westhafen can be explored on June 11, in a site-specific composition by Daniel Ott performed with more than sixty musicians of Berlin's most renowned ensembles.

On the 16th of June, Kiezsalon returns to Gärten der Welt. The unique line-up features the Japanese vocalist Hatis Noit alongside Maria W Horn, Mario Batkovic and Park Jiha. Highly recommended for a deep dive in a unique sonic experience is singuhr – projekte’s »unexpected territories«, highlighting pieces by David Tudor, Phil Edelstein and hans w. koch at Villa Elisabeth on the 1st of July. 

In August, we look forward to the return of ensemble mosaik’s »UpToThree« series with fresh works by Joanna Bailie, Juliana Hodkinson, Tamon Yashima, Haukur Þór Harðarson and Wang Lu at Acker Stadt Palast on the 13th and 14th. Marion Wörle and Maciej Sledziecki a.k.a. gamut inc will present a music theatre piece on the 26th at Theater im Delphi. Furthermore, the new format »(Musical) Ethics Lab 2« at the Akademie der Künste will start on the 27th and 28th of August and features Burkhard Beins, Anthea Caddy, Chris Heenan, Magda Mayas, Biliana Voutchkova, Marta Zapparoli as well as many more.

Finally, Summer will bring us the ninth edition of the HEROINES OF SOUND festival between the 7th and 9th July at radialsystem. The spotlight of this year's festival is on the Canadian music scene. An extra highlight is the Peruvian composer collective RETAMA in concert with Ensemble KNM Berlin, presented for the first time in Europe, alongside a performance for electronic cajón and electric guitar by Ale Hop and Laura Robles.

We hope to see you there!

 – Alejandra Luciana Cárdenas (a.k.a. Ale Hop) / Bettina Wackernagel

Ale Hop is a Peruvian multi-instrumentalist, researcher and artist, whose work is closely connected to Heroines of Sound. She is currently releasing an editorial platform under the name of Contingent Sounds.

Bettina Wackernagel founded the festival Heroines of Sound in 2014 and to this day continues to be responsible for its artistic direction.