biography.

hear now berlin. founded in Berlin in 2018 by American flutist Kelly Watson Woelffer, is a contemporary sextet with an extraordinary line-up that offers space in its programs to innovative, musically diverse influenced compositions and represents current compositional positions that defy quick categorization. With their profile, they expand and enrich the constantly changing scene for New Music in Berlin and underline its multicultural character with their diversity.

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The focus of the ensemble is on music that dissolves boundaries; fusing contemporary classical, avant-garde, jazz, pop, and free improvisation practices into a "post-genre" sound art.

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The six musicians from Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the USA are not only at home in classical-romantic orchestral and chamber music, but also bring experience in composition, jazz, electronic music and improvisation. As hear now berlin. they perform works by young, contemporary composers who celebrate a wide variety of influences and personal preferences with relish. New music is combined with jazz, minimal music, pop or club music in a diverse, rhythmically pulsating, highly virtuosic and colorful way. 

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Additionally, hear now berlin. also creates original works from within the ensemble, bringing an intimate element that showcases the vast array of skills from these individual musicians. The musicians not only work with young composers such as Nathan Schram, Andrew Norman, Caroline Shaw and Gabriella Smith, but also initiate innovative collaborations with jazz and pop artists like Becca Stevens in search of a fresh sound image of contemporary music today.

A founding principle of the ensemble is to dedicate their programs to featuring new works for like-minded composers and collaborate with them in the presentation of their premieres. 

The debut album of hear now berlin. will be released on the Bristling Music label in 2022.