- Be welcome, free admission, no reservations necessary -
Saxophonist and composer Kika Sprangers comes to Conseratorium Maastricht to work with our saxophonists and vocalists, the seamless blending of which forms the basis of our Fringe Orchestra project this Spring!
More about Kika Sprangers
Saxophonist and composer Kika Sprangers (1994) her music balances on a fine line between vulnerability and strength. A vision to combine the two, shared musically through a love for unorthodox instrumentation and tension arcs meant for symphonic passages or a heavy silence. Her new quintet album Mind’s Eye (2022) is an ode to imagination.
Her artistic quest revolves around what makes us human. Her debut album “Human Traits” (2019, several Edison nominations, Dutch Grammy) literally connects the human portrait to music in a collaboration with photographer Karen van Gilst, presenting illustrative music presented by the Kika Sprangers Large Ensemble.
With the Kika Sprangers Quintet they seamlessly blend wordless vocals (Anna Serierse) with saxophone, supported by a rich, dynamic rhythm section. Colouring Kika’s narrative compositions, intentionally unstructured and unexpected, pulling at the audience’s anticipations. Her style automatically and deceptively drags you along, yet remains unpredictable. Jazz music that sweeps from silence to symphonic proportions without resulting in kitschy cliches.
In the Netherlands, she is long recognized as one of the finest young talents in contemporary jazz, receiving numerous awards for her work as a composer and bandleader. She was awarded the Rogier van Otterloo Award 2021 (by the Metropole Orchestra) as an upcoming composer and did a 2-year artist-in-residence program at TivoliVredenburg Utrecht. In this trajectory (supported by the Dutch fund for Performing Arts) Kika recorded new music with her Large Ensemble and in duo with harp player Remy van Kesteren, guitarist Mikkel Ploug and pianist Kit Downes. These recordings will be released next year.
“An enchantingly beautiful concert” - NRC Handelsblad ★★★★★
“Kika Sprangers is not only an exceptional composer, as well as an instrumentalist with great lyrical qualities. - Jazzthetik ★★★★★
Visit website Kika Sprangers