Carte Blanche
Andrea Kirchhofer
Zugluft & Jarry Singla
Global SoundsExperimentalJazzNeue Schweizer VolksmusikAsia
Carte Blanche: Andrea Kirchhofer
Andrea Kirchhofer's Carte Blanche brings together a variety of elements: the violin and the voice, jazz and lyrics, and folk music from around the world. In an interview, she told us what we can expect from her three evenings at Moods.
To give an example, she composed the music for Lukas Roth's new production, Nichts als ein Versuch (Nothing but an Attempt), in an improvisatory process with her fellow musician, Jeanne Larrouturou. Sounds exciting? The theatre production will also be coming to Theater Stadelhofen this winter! But first, at Moods, we will get to know a different side of Andrea Kirchhofer.Zugluft & Jarry Singla
Donnerstag, 23. Oktober 2025, 20:30 UhrAndrea has been involved with Zugluft for the longest time, having collaborated with bass clarinettist Bruno Strüby for over 20 years. The two met in Ireland in 2003, when Andrea was just 18 and spent a year busking and learning Irish folk music. Since then, they have been performing on stage together with their "Folklore imaginaire" in this unique line-up. Andrea has searched, but has yet to find another duo with the same instruments.Folklore imaginaire draws on the traditions that have inspired the two musicians in the past, such as klezmer and Irish folk music. However, Andrea Kirchhofer explained that this original repertoire is now a thing of the past. Today, Zugluft's music is created completely independently of folk music. "Either we improvise during a rehearsal, or one of us brings ideas or a relatively finished piece, which we then arrange or develop together."
Andrea Kirchhofer met Jarry Singla, a pianist from Cologne, during a studio residency at the Cité des Arts in Paris, having received a scholarship from the Kuratorium Aargau. Singla was her neighbour in the studios, Andrea explains, "but I had the better piano in my studio!", which is why he sometimes practised there. They also started improvising together and became excited about doing a joint project.
To include Zugluft seemed like the obvious choice, Andrea explains, because "his compositions and ours are quite different, but still go really well together. His are more inspired by Indian music, and he is more firmly rooted in jazz. We were curious to hear how our pieces would sound with a piano." As part of the Carte Blanche, the trio is flourishing once more – and here's a little amuse-bouche:
Andrea Kirchhofer & Irina Ungureanu
Sonntag, 1. Februar 2026, 19:00 UhrTwo violins, two voices and lyrics in dialect. "It's very exciting to be developing something completely new here," says Andrea Kirchhofer enthusiastically. "I've actually only ever written songs in English before." Working with the violin and vocals is also challenging, as both instruments have a similar range. "How do you achieve a complete sound?" Andrea is looking forward to exploring this combination and discovering the soundscapes that can be created.
Like Andrea Kirchhofer, Irina Ungureanu has a background in theatre, and they both play in the quintet SORAS. Andrea Kirchhofer enthuses, "I like her special approach to language and sound, and it's inspiring to work with her." We're excited to see what will come out of this collaboration!In 2023, Irina Ungureanu won the Moods Aïda Alliman Prize. Here is a recording of her concert, "Lieder aus dem Schneckenhaus", with Anna Trauffer, from June 2024:
Zugluft & Altfrentsche Besetzung
Sonntag, 12. April 2026, 19:00 UhrFor the final Carte Blanche evening in April, Kirchhofer has invited Zugluft and the Altfrentsche Besetzung to perform. Together, they will blend Appenzell string music and jazz with Zugluft's imaginary folklore. Kirchhofer had previously excluded Swiss folk music from her exploration of different types of folk music. However, thanks to the Altfrentsche Besetzung's open and careful approach to tradition, she has found a newfound enthusiasm for it. "I'm interested in the groove, the two-part violin, the breaking out — that's what moves me," she says.
For the last two years, she has regularly joined the trio Lincke, Härtel, Menzi to form a quartet. Kirchhofer values the search for her own musical language in both her long-standing collaboration with Zugluft and with the Altfrentschen Besetzung. Bringing the two bands together as part of Carte Blanche is an opportunity to discover new facets and experiment. We are very excited to embark on this journey of discovery with her.
Andrea Kirchhofer's Carte Blanche
Carte Blanche
Andrea Kirchhofer
Andrea Kirchhofer & Irina Ungureanu
ExperimentalGlobal SoundsJazz Modern CreativeExperimental JazzNeue Schweizer Volksmusik
Carte Blanche
Andrea Kirchhofer
Zugluft & Altfrentsche Besetzung
Global SoundsJazzJazz Modern CreativeNeue Schweizer VolksmusikFusionGlobal Jazz
