Šalter Ensemble operates on the border between free improvisation and composition, focusing on collective processes as a central part of its practice. The project is an international electroacoustic ensemble initiated in 2017 by Jonas Kocher in collaboration with Zavod Sploh Ljubljana and Izlog Festival Zagreb, and has since performed at numerous venues and festivals in Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and Serbia. In 2021, the ensemble released the album Štiri dela.
The musicians come from a wide range of backgrounds – from jazz to traditional and folk music to contemporary improvised and electronic music – and are from different generations.
Šalter Ensemble, an international electroacoustic ensemble was 2017–2019 compound of some innovative figures in the music scene of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Switzerland. They come from various musical backgrounds, from jazz through modern composed music, sound art and improvisation to traditional and popular music.
Twelve musicians of different generations share a desire to explore musical boundaries and develop their own sound expressions. Šalter Ensemble creates on the edge of free improvisation and composition where collective processes form the core of the music.
Four compositions have been developed through various concepts and visions by four members with the ensemble:
Bertrand Denzler: Ubiquité
Robert Roža: The Šalter
Roko Crnić: Common ground altogether
Tomaž Grom: What We Listen To, Connects Us, What We Hear, Separates Us
Artistic director: Jonas Kocher
Composers: Bertrand Denzler, Roko Crnić, Robert Roža in Tomaž Grom
Musicians: Bertrand Denzler (saxophone), Tomaž Grom (double bass, electronics), Roko Crnić (e-bass, electronics), Robert Roža (elektronics), Marina Džukljev (piano), Jonas Kocher (accordion), Nenad Kovačić (percussion), Samo Kutin (hurdy gurdy), Julien Mégroz (percussion), Srđan Muc (electric guitar, electronics), Irena Z. Tomažin (voice), Tena Novak Vincek (violin)
Producer: Bruit Association.
Co-producers: Zavod Sploh Ljubljana, Zavod Jazz Cerkno and Studentski centar Zagreb – Kultura promjene – festival Izlog suvremenog zvuka.
Partners: festival Ring Ring (Beograd) and festival Ispod Bine (Split)
Supported by Swiss arts council Pro Helvetia, SUISA Fondation, Canton of Bern and City of Biel/Bienne.
06.05.2017, Izlog suvremenog zvuka, Zagreb, Hrvaška
17.05.2017, Ring Ring, Beograd, Srbija
19.05.2017, festival Jazz Cerkno
10.11.2017, festival Ispod Bine, Split, Hrvaška
12.11.2017, Spazio Zephiro, Castelfranco Veneto, Italija
13.11.2017, Zvokotok, Španski borci, Ljubljana
12.01.2019, L’Usine Sonore, Biel/Bienne, Švica
17.01.2019, Zvokotok, EBU prenos, Španski borci, Ljubljana
