Dialogues between old and new

In Bloom is a concert series with new music by Korzo and Hague-based composer Lise Morrison. New what? New music! Music written today and fueled by an open, versatile genre. Inspiration can come from anywhere, from classical music to pop culture. Composers dissect music as organized sound, playing with melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, intensity, and repetition. In doing so, they discover new ways to make their instruments speak, capturing the pulse of modern life and surprising you at every turn.  

This edition of In Bloom features three wildly different Hague-based makers who blend old and new musical worlds in their own ways: Gośka Isphording pairs a harpsichord with video games and interactive video; Petra Cini and Sean Bell breathe new life into a piece from 1576 using baroque guitar, synths, and vocals; and Robert Nettleship delivers an absurdist piece full of drums and glitches. 

The harpsichord might look like a centuries-old instrument, but Gośka Isphording has turned it into a vessel for strikingly contemporary sound. During In Bloom, she performs a work for harpsichord, two modified video game consoles, and interactive video, developed together with Hugo Morales Murguia. 

Gośka is known for introducing the harpsichord to a wider audience of composers and listeners through collaborations, talks, and master classes.  

In a time when division seems to grow by the day, this project unites past and present. Classical sounds meet modern electronics and centuries-old music is reimagined with unexpected twists. In doing so, they question what musical identity today's European creators actually have and why. 

Meandering in the Wind features a new work by Petra Cini for piano, synths, vocals, baroque guitar, and electronics, inspired by a 1576 composition plus modern arrangements from 1606 by Sean Bell. This is old music like you've never heard it before. 

Robert performs Pihseltten, a piece written for Sibelius MIDI playback and drums. In other words: the notation software Sibelius plays the score, converting the written notes into digital instrument sounds (MIDI). Alongside the live drums, you also hear slightly artificial-sounding, computer-generated notes. In this work, Nettleship plays with pre-programmed material and improvisation to create an absurdist piece full of glitches. 

Nettleship is a British composer, performer, and songwriter from Nottingham, now based in The Hague. He embraces the ‘learning by doing’ approach: playing, experimenting, scribbling through ideas until he stumbles on something beautiful, which then weaves into his art.