Concerts and shows

In order to take another look at its repertoire, the Ensemble intercontemporain regularly joins forces with artists from other disciplines (director, choreographer, puppeteers, visual artists, etc.) to present, in a playful and original form, works from 20th century to the present day.

Les drôles de pianos de M. Cage

• What : a collaborative concert
• Who : children from 6 years old and their families
• When : October 13th, 2024
• Where : at the Philharmonie de Paris

John Cage played with the strings of the piano to reveal its secret nature. His experimental practice gave the prepared piano a repertoire free of codes and boundaries. Following in the footsteps of this free and iconoclastic spirit, American composer Julia Wolfe questions her country’s musical identity through a virtuoso work open to the blending of sources and aesthetics that make up America. The soloists of the Ensemble intercontemporain will capture the original meaning of the notion of play: the piano is a ‘toy’, a resonating object that can be manipulated by all.

Program : works from John Cage and Julia Wolfe

Our partner: Philharmonie de Paris

Alice et le miroir

• What: concert for young audience
• Who: children from 8 years old
• When: February 5th, 2025
• Where: Tandem – Théâtre d’Arras

The abundant and creative universe of Lewis Carroll echoes the experimental work of the musicians of the Ensemble intercontemporain. This is why the composer Sofia Avramidou was commissionned to rewrite the second book of Alice’s adventures, De l’Autre côté du miroir, for four musicians, a soprano singer and electronics. The staging is provided by Aurélie Hubeau, who worked with four puppeteers of the Institut international de la marionnette de Charleville-Mézières.

Program: De l’Autre côté d’Alice for soprano, bass clarinet, cello, percussion and electronics. Based on the libretto of Mélanie Le Moine.

Our partners: ENSAM, Philharmonie de Paris. With the support of Sacem.

The concert was premiered in May 2024 at the Philharmonie de Paris and can be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Connect – Audience as Artist

• What: a participative project
• Who: for everyone
• When: season 2026-27
• Where: at the Philharmonie de Paris
• How: with the support of Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, in collaboration with London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, Asko|Schönberg, Remix Ensemble Casa da Música.

“CONNECT ” dissolves hierarchies between audience and performers, breaking down the barrier between on- and off-stage and creating new interactive formats in which the audience becomes a co-creator and participant. This pan-European initiative, enabled by the Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, began in 2016 as a cooperation between four leading contemporary music ensembles, which the Ensemble intercontemporain joined for the first time this year. The goal of the project is :

• to explore the relationship between composer, musician and audience anew, enabling the audience to play a participatory role;
• to inspire composers to experiment with the idea of shared curation, encouraging new ways for musicians to interact with audiences;
• and empower audiences to pay their own role in great art.

Program: the 4th edition is focused on developing a radical and new approach to the concept of “Audience as Artist”. Composer Brigitta Muntendorf has been commissioned to compose a new work with performances to take place in the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 seasons.

Our partners: Fondation Art Mentor Lucerne, London Sinfonietta, Asko|Schönberg, Ensemble Modern and Remix Ensemble