Friday 16 October Musique(s) des Rives x La Passerelle, scène nationale de St Brieuc
With MINIMAL, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, now under the artistic direction of Vassilena Serafimova, explore the many facets of percussion keyboards: their resonances, repetitions, melodic qualities and immersive potential. We will be experimenting with an innovative setup in which the audience will be invited to take their seats on stage, right alongside the musicians, for an immersive experience and a fresh perspective on music.
ETATS with the HEAR percussion class: Jolas, Saariaho, Zubel
Wednesday 4 November Théâtre de Hautepierre, Strasbourg
An evening celebrating a new artistic chapter for Les Percussions de Strasbourg, with the arrival of Vassilena Serafimova as artistic director. Several generations of musicians come together around an exceptional repertoire of works by women composers.
Programme in dialogue with the HEAR percussion class: · Betsy Jolas – États (1969) · Kaija Saariaho – Trois rivières (1994) · Agata Zubel – Nelumbo (2002) · CM2 pupils from Rosa Parks primary school – Interludes à États (new works, 2026), with Enrico Pedicone.
In November, Les Percussions de Strasbourg invite you to three Parisian venues for three musical experiences, each with its own distinctive universe. First, on 6th November at the Théâtre Silvia Monfort, as part of Festival sonore #3, discover MYOTIS V by Anthony Laguerre: a monumental work with rock, noise and punk influences, written for a quartet of percussionists and a drummer. On 15th November, embrace minimalism with MINIMAL, a recital for two vibraphones and two marimbas presented at the Musique(s) Rive Gauche Festival, featuring works by Nik Bärtsch, Steve Reich, Camille Pépin and Shelley Washington.
Finally, from 18th to 22nd November at the Théâtre du Rond-Point, Les Percussions de Strasbourg join DISKOTEEKKI, an offbeat and poetic musical comedy by Nicole Genovese, imagining a community of climate refugees who gather every Saturday for an improbable Finnish bingo night.
Vassilena Serafimova Our new Artistic Director has arrived in Strasbourg!
Vassilena Serafimova, an internationally acclaimed Bulgarian percussionist and marimbist, has been appointed Artistic Director of Les Percussions de Strasbourg this year. Trained in Bulgaria, France and at the Juilliard School in New York, she has built an international career as a soloist, chamber musician and educator, driven by her commitment to contemporary music and the exploration of diverse musical styles. Having grown up in Bulgaria with the ensemble as a source of inspiration, she now aims to bring her experience as a performer, creator and educator to a collective artistic project that embraces new musical writing and looks towards the international stage.
Calder Piece Earle Brown, at the Fondation Beyeler
On 26th and 27th September, Les Percussions de Strasbourg were invited to the Fondation Beyeler to perform Calder Piece (1963–1966) by composer Earle Brown (1926–2002).
At the heart of this unique work is Chef d’orchestre by Alexander Calder (1898–1976), a freestanding mobile created especially for Brown’s composition.
A spectacular encounter between music, sculpture and movement, set against the exceptional backdrop of the Fondation Beyeler.
“Dear audience members, For several years, funding for artistic creation has been declining, and budgetary uncertainty is putting publicly funded performing arts at risk. Until now, we have done everything in our power to minimise the impact on audiences. Today, the scale of the budget cuts compels us to raise the alarm and call on you to support the initiatives our professional organisations are pursuing with the government.”
