Commissions to inti figgis-vizueta, Michelle Magalhães & Naomi Pinnock

Reflection is an interdisciplinary concert that combines eleven new compositions for solo cello into a dynamic performance. The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is funding commissions to inti figgis-vizueta, Michelle Magalhães and Naomi Pinnock. The concert will be performed at various positions within the concert hall. Miriam Götz’s staging creates an immersive audiovisual experience that combines music, light, video, and installation.

The Sacher Variations from 1976 and the patron Paul Sacher, to whom they are dedicated, serve as the starting point for Reflection. Sacher commissioned over 250 works from world-renowned composers and had the power to advance their careers. During his tenure, he commissioned only a single female composer—a staggering and shameful exclusion. Because of him and other similar figures, few female composers received recognition in the 20th century.

Reflection is a feminist statement against this patriarchal legacy. Commissions for the concert’s compositions are awarded exclusively to FLINTA* composers, including inti figgis-vizueta, Michelle Magalhães, and Naomi Pinnock. The works are being developed in collaboration with cellist Benjamin Coyte. Reflection forms a new cycle of cello works for a new century, shedding light on the changes in society, culture, and contemporary music fifty years after the Sacher Variations. By commissioning works by female and transgender composers, the project serves as a curatorial statement that encourages the audience to reflect on the challenges of overcoming sexist practices in today’s contemporary music.

Further information:
kulturlabor-stiftung.de

Dates

October 17, 2026
Halle 16, Sulz am Neckar

November 14, 2026
TONALi Saal, Hamburg