Names Ensemble: Geometries III – Spirits in Complexity

The NAMES Ensemble invites you to an immersive sound performance that combines contemporary music with live electronics, video, and installation elements. In collaboration with the research project Spirits in Complexity at mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, an "Artificial Nature" emerges: a dynamic structure of instruments, neural networks, and adaptive systems in which sound arises through interactions between human and non-human agents. The title-giving "Spirits" refer to the unpredictable processes of technological systems, which are not controlled here but artistically negotiated.

The program features world premieres by Thomas Grill, Angélica Castelló, Patrik Lechner, and Marco Döttlinger, including works for ensemble, live electronics, and real-time visual projections. Founded in 2014 and awarded the Ensemble Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation in 2023, the NAMES Ensemble brings together nine musicians from six countries: Anna Lindenbaum (violin), Valerie Fritz (cello), Marina Iglesias (flutes), Marco Sala (clarinets), Špela Mastnak (percussion), Christos Marantos (piano), and Alexander Bauer (electric organ). Their projects bridge musical practice with performance, dance, and visual art and have been presented at international festivals such as Wien Modern or Mixtur Barcelona.