Valby Vokalgruppe, Francis Baudevin
Solid for Voices
Concert with gobo projection. In partnership with Ensemble Vide.
In 2008, Anja Jacobsen initiated a series of vocal explorations with eight singers. The group developed a music practice rooted in rhythm and voice. These early explorations gave rise to Valby Vokalgruppe, which has evolved over the years to include other instruments, primarily keyboards. The ensemble has collectively composed four large-scale works with a hybrid aesthetic – some incorporating theatrical texts, text projections, dancers and classically trained singers. With their upcoming album SOLIDS FOR VOICES, to be released in autumn 2025, Valby Vokalgruppe returns to its roots.
SOLIDS FOR VOICES consists of short, rhythm-driven pieces that build into trance-like patterns through repetition. The music combines rigorous precision with softness and radically structured composition. Intense concentration and playfulness coexist, transcending into a state of heightened focus and clarity. Geometric figures, such as the Platonic solids, are “translated” into vocal rhythms, while intuitive melodies seem to hover, weightless, above. The group’s aim is total immersion in voice, rhythm and trance.
Given Valby Vokalgruppe’s interest in geometric forms, visual artist Francis Baudevin was invited to create a visual contribution for the concert. Drawing from his established repertoire of shapes, Baudevin will select motifs to be projected into the performance space using a gobo lighting system.
