In the context of the Belgian Music Week, Sound in Motion offers you an exclusive online concert of Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Lightbox Orchestra filmed and recorded at the fourth Visitations event of 2021 at Rataplan. Register now and get free – donations welcome – and unlimited access to this amazing concert with Karen Willems, Marjolein Vernimmen, Anke Verslype, Elisabeth Klinck, Haroun Iqbal, John Dikeman, Jasper De Roeck, Simon Dhaen, Jonas Nieuwejaers and Fred Lonberg-Holm as non gestural conductor.

FRED LONBERG-HOLM’S LIGHTBOX ORCHESTRA:
KAREN WILLEMS – MARJOLEIN VERNIMMEN – ANKE VERSLYPE – ELISABETH KLINCK – HAROUN IQBAL – JOHN DIKEMAN – JASPER DE ROECK – SIMON DHAEN – JONAS NIEUWEJAERS – FRED LONBERG-HOLM (LIGHTBOX – CUE CARDS)

For the fourth Visitations edition of 2021 in collaboration with Rataplan Fred Lonberg-Holm (US, cello), Karen Willems (BE, drums, percussion), Marjolein Vernimmen (BE, harp), Anke Verslype (BE, drums, percussion), Haroun Iqbal (BE, el. guitar), Joachim Badenhorst (BE, tenor sax, bass clarinet, electronics), Elisabeth Klinck (BE, violin), John Dikeman (US, tenor sax), Jasper De Roeck (BE, bass), Simon Dhaen (BE, trumpet) and Jonas Nieuwejaers (BE, trumpet) accepted the challenge to immerse themselves in an adventurous musical residency at Rataplan. On the last day of this Visitations event Fred Lonberg-Holm conducted this eager group of musicians without any gestures, only armed with a lightbox and some cue cards.

The Lightbox Orchestra is a non gestural conduction system developed by Fred Lonberg-Holm in the mid ‘90’s. Using only a simple set of lights and cue cards, Lonberg-Holm organizes an ensemble of around ten musicians to create unique real time compositions that arise from the collaboration between the musicians on hand and the lightbox operator. The project grew out of compositional work exploring the elimination of pre determined harmonic and melodic material as well as durational and structural parameters.  Unlike most conduction approaches, the lightbox project seeks to filter out the physical aspect of the conductor removing the information inherent in body language and physicality. Although the lightbox operator holds a privileged position, the project works best when that position is considered a silent member of the ensemble with an editing role rather than a leader or director.  Without a fixed membership or instrumentation, versions have varied from jazz to rock, noise to classical, world to folk.