"The French bass and choral conductor, Jean-Christophe Groffe, first studied classical guitar, then musicology in France. During his studies, his interest in the voice and especially for the vocal polyphony was awakened. He then devoted himself to singing, studying with Howard Crook in Paris. His interest is particularly true of the Renaissance and Baroque music, which is why he studied singing at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Evelyn Tubb and Gerd Türk. He also had lessons with Andreas Scholl, Anthony Rooley and Andrea Marcon and gained a diploma in singing, ensemble music and pedagogy. Choral conducting, he studied with Daniel Bargier in France and Hans-Martin Linde in Basel.

Inspired by the scenic work, Jean-Christophe Groffe has been involved in Paris, Zürich, Basel, Rouen and Tours in numerous music theater projects as a soloist, ensemble singers and choristers. He also sang under the baton of renowned conductors such as Ton Koopman, Frans Brüggen, Masaaki Suzuki, Andrea Marcon, Pablo Heras-Casado, Christopher Hogwood, Mariss Jansons, Bernard Haitink, Charles Dutoit, Marek Janowski, Alan Gilbert and Heinz Holliger.

Jean-Christophe Groffe, who is also interested in the new music of the 20th and 21st century, is a member of the Ensemble SoloVoices, a vocal quartet specialist in contemporary music. In addition to his activities as a singer, he directs choirs in and around Basel, taught singing at the Musikschule Muttenz and gives at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis presentations on interpretation of French music.

Jean-Christophe Groffe is founder and director of professional Ensemble Thélème. The focus of his work is on the understanding of the artistic and sociological context and the direct access to the sources. For him, the attitude of the artist towards the music is crucial. He understands the music as a contemporary object and do not want to restore a past universe. Since the beginning of January 2012, he directs the Chor Kultur und Volk in Basel. He now lives in Switzerland."

"Pelayo Fernandez Arrizabalaga (born 1949, Laredo, Spain) is a sax and clarinet player and composer. His career started in the 1970s playing in an assortment of Madrid free jazz ensembles. In 1984 he cofounded the experimental rock group Clónicos with Markus Breuss, recording a total of five albums and touring throughout Europe.

Arrizabalaga relocated to Switzerland in 1993 where he is guest composer at the electronic music Studio of the Bassel Conservatoire, directed by Thomas Keßler, and frequently performs within the improvised music scene.

Arrizabalaga is also a founding member of the FMOL Trio, an electronic free improvisation group, which takes its name from the FMOL virtual digital instrument, developed in 1997 by Trio member Sergi Jordà. He has also reunited with Markus Breuss in the Breuss Arrizabalaga Quintet, a jazz ensemble."

"Yosvany Quintero (composer, clarinet, saxophone player)was born in 1973 in Matanzas, Cuba. He studied clarinet and violin at the National Music School of Havana. With Harold Gramatges he studied composition at the Institute of Superior Fine Arts (ISA, Havana), as well as electronic music with Carlos Fariñas and Roberto Valera.

In 1997 he came to Switzerland, invited by Thomas Kessler, to continue his education with him at the Music Academy of Basel where he also studied algorithmic composition with Hanspeter Kyburz. He attended composition master classes and seminars with Julio Estrada, Jesus Villarojo, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Edgar Alandia, Dujka Smojke, Stefano Scodanibbio and Luigi Abbate.

Since 1998 he has been working as a clarinet and sax player in various European jazz festivals and clubs. He has worked with musicians such as Greg Osby, Glenn Ferris Wolfgang Puschnig, Egidius Streiff (Antipodes), Markus Weiss, Roland Krüger, Juan Munguia, etc.

Quintero also conducts and presently leads two musical ensembles, Cuarteao and Frontton, with which he is constantly searching for new avenues in the field of jazz and improvisation. He was awarded a prize in the 13th International Composition Seminar of Boswil, in 1999. He received in 2006 a commission by Pro Helvetia, premiere of the work "Las Danzas de Lagarto" for octet at The Festival of World Music Days in Stuttgar and Gaudeamus Festival. Quintero's compositions have been performed at musical events in Cuba, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands."

"Remo Schnyder studied music at the Bern University of the Arts and the University of Music FHNW in Basel, where he subsequently taught saxophone and chamber music as an assistant to Marcus Weiss. He has won prizes at various competitions, including together with pianist Sayaka Sakurai at the Concours Léopold Bellan, Paris, at the Concours Nicati and from Migros-Kulturprozent. He has been a lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts since 2019."

"Gilbert Trefzger has African and European roots.

He started playing guitar at the age of nine. He studied guitar in the Jazz Department of the University of Music in Basel and in Paris. He is a multi-instrumentalist and plays guitar, steel guitar and aoud and performs many diverse styles of music.

His versatility and creative approach has led him to work with and perform with different artists, to collaborate on film soundtracks and also write music for theatre and film scores.

2023 DJ Shalaby with Radio Olisipo Lisboa, Ireland Tour with 19 Street Band, Project with Luise Lein, DJ Shalaby with Paula Albina

2020-22 Unfortunately all shows and projects cancelled

2019 Project with Dominic Dolega, Project with Ampersan, Tour with the 19th Street Band, new Project Leonnin with Ghostnebula, new Clip with Origins of Sound , music for the puppet play Der Teufel mit den goldenen 3 Haaren

2018 Music for the Two Continents Sessions, Music for My Home Loop by Isabel Andres Porti, Project for Native Instruments, Steelguitar on the new album from Catherine Pfeiffer, Tour with the 19th Street Band, Music for the dance project Path with Roberta Ricci, Project with Lubiana

2017 New Project Origins of Sounds, Music in the film Terre Ferme , Music for the clip Sewage Pipe Blues in Ireland, Aoud on the Track Euro Fresco Cash by the Hoo

2016 New video for the Okou Song Seven Suns with the Bow mixed by Robert Harder, new Videos for AFOT with Regina Teichs, guitars for the Track Naught by Kold (Release 2017), guitars on TV Spot from Supreme Music

2015 Aoud and Steelguitar for the new album from Alligatoah, Music for the TV Spot SOS Kinderdorf, Dobro on the track Woanders by Berge, Guitars for the new Series of Jingles for SRF3, Steelguitar for the new Album from Brandy Butler

2014 Music for Broadway Variete, music for the TV Spot 8×4 guitars for the album Haven by Ravi Srinivasan, music for the dance play Nefertiti at Biennale Passages Bielefeld, Oud on the track Adis Abandon by Wood in da Fire

2013 Music for the play Gottes kleiner Krieger at Theater Freiburg, steel guitar for the soundtrack of the short film Islands Dreams

2012 Music for the TV Spot Fleurope and for the TV Spot Women's Health, lapsteel and guitars on the Album Handsome Hank sings about Devils and Angels

2011 Music for the play Palomares at Theater Neumarkt, Release of the album Rollercoaster by Ernest Saint Laurent, Release of the album Lovies Lied by Tomek Kolczynski, Release of the documentary film Photography As A Journey

2010 The Okou debut album Serpentine is released in France (AZ/Universal Records), England and Germany with Wrasse Records, Okou Serpentine Tour in F,D,CH,GB,NL

2009 The project Okou has signed with AZ Records, album recorded at Sear Sound NYC with producer Jay Newland, bassist Ira Coleman, drummer Andrew Borger, accordionist Brian Mitchell, tubist Dave Bargeron. String arrangements by Gil Goldstein

2008 Okou has signed with Universal Music Publishing France, recordings in the US with producer Jay Newland, guitars on the track Deshalb bin ich hier by Thomas D, music for the doc film Grundeinkommen

2007 Guitars for soundtrack from the film Someone beside you, guitars and oud for the play Schwarze Jungfrauen at Burgtheater Vienna

2006 Project with Nitin Sawhney, composition for the play Der Zerbrochene Krug at Schauspielhaus Hannover

2005 Swiss tour with Lovebugs on steelguitar

2004 Swiss and German tour with the Jamaican singer Roy Ellis (Mr. Symarip)"

"Dominik Dolega, born in 1979 in Cracow, studied classical and orchestral percussion under Jan Pilch at the Academy of Music in Cracow and contemporary percussion and improvisation under Christian Dierstein and Walter Fähendrich in Music Academy in Basel, Switzerland.

Compositions

Dominik Dolega's compositions are a unique collage of sounds including elements of experimental and electroacoustic music, inspired by the contemporary classical music trends.

2021 - premiere of the chamber composition "Mosaic" with electronics, performed with the immigrants from Africa.

Direction and production

In 2016-2021, he developed and led a concert series in Neuestheater in Dornach, presenting a variety of projects connecting music with visual arts, performance, electronics, and acoustics. In an additional, educational project, children and youth joined professional musicians to perform on the stage.

Dominik Dolega is composing conceptual music installations for the outdoor locations and meaningful architectural objects, combining improvisation and composition.

Instrumentalist

As instrumentalist he specializes in using lithophones, prototypes of stone instruments mixed with classical percussion instruments and idiophones.

Orchestral musician

The artist works with leading Swiss and Polish orchestras, including Basler Sinfonieorchester, Basler Kammerorchester, Basel Sinfonietta, der Musical Theater Basel, the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow, Freiburger Barockorchester."