For years now, the trademarks of the popular TRANSITfestival have been a focus on premieres and a healthy mix of Flemish and international new music. The 2011 programme is no exception and promises more exciting concerts: nine premieres by very young, young and somewhat less young Flemish composers, and eleven premieres by a select company of composers from over the border. The only ‘fixture’ among the ensembles is Spectra; the others are all making their TRANSIT debut. And what a line-up (!): Neue Vocalsolisten, ELISION ensemble, Bozzini Quartet, Ensemble Recherche and more. The keyboard concert, with solo works for accordion (Luka Juhart), bayan (An Raskin) and virtual harmonium (Ernst Surberg), will truly be a singular event.
This year’s Lecture+Recital will focus on Iceland. The debate will be about new music within the public broadcasting system, with representatives from radio all over Europe. Three co-productions with partners November Music Nederland, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and Reykjavik Dark Music Days emphasize TRANSIT’s international character. This is all preparation for 2012, when TRANSIT will be completely dominated by the World Music Days, a world’s fair of contemporary music, held by the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) in a different country each year. After opening in Brussels, this prestigious music-fest will camp out in Leuven from Friday 26 October until Sunday 28 October 2012. But for now, welcome to the 2011 festival!
Mark Delaere artistic director
TRANSIT Collectie is an initiative of MATRIX [New Music Centre], in cooperation with Festival 20/21 and the support of the city of Leuven.
