RAPHAËL BELFIORE
new music composer and performer
contact: belfiore.raphael@gmail.com
(b. 11.10.1995, Geneva)
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
I am a Swiss composer currently based in Zurich. My artistic practice lies between contemporary and improvised music and contemporary art. My recent projects have been presented in several European countries and include composed and improvised performances, ensemble pieces, video works, a multi-media installation and most recently a collection of verbal scores in self-published book form. I am particularly interested in a conceptual approach to music in which practice is intimately linked to theory. Through this, I deal with different topics such as the relationship between art and the notions of reality, truth and authenticity. This leads me in particular to the question of new media and their impact on traditional artistic practices such as classical music and the problematic of their conditions of reception.
CURRICULUM VITAE
academic background
2022 – 2024 : Certificate in Art and Curatorial Practice at The New Centre for Research & Practice
2022 – 2024 : B.A. in Music Performance (Voice) with Marcel Boone at the Hochschule für Musik Basel
2019 – 2022 : M.A. in Music Composition with Isabel Mundry at the Zürcher Hochschule de Künste; Minor subject: Composition with Johannes Kreidler at the Hochschule für Musik Basel.
2015 – 2019: B.A. in humanities (musicology, philosophy and art history), Geneva University.
2016 – 2019: auditor at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève (harmony, counterpoint, analysis, orchestration and ear-training).
2016 – 2019: student at the CPMDT Geneva in composition, electronic music, piano, voice and improvisation.
selections, scholarships and grants
2022: Partial Scolarship for a Certificate in Art and Curatorial Practice at The New Centre for Research and Practice
2022: Grants from the Memento foundation and the Graf-Fonds for the printing of the text-score book Contents
2022 – 23: Protonwerk N°12: true participation, Ensemble Proton, Bern
2021 – 22: Scholarship Fondation Nicati-De Luze
2021: International Young Composers Academy: Full Scholarship
2020: IGNM Zürich’s "Fast Forward" call for projects
lectures and writings
Interview of Hannes Seidl on his and Daniel Kötter’s radio play STADT [LAND FLUSS] for recordedness.org.
Program notes for Ensemble Contrechamps' concert "Infrarouge", February 2020
Redaction of labels for the exhibition "Video Archivia" in Geneva during the Biennale de l'Image en Mouvement 2018.
Lecture "4'33'' de John Cage, une musique au-delà du son ?" at the Lausanne University, May 2018
Program notes for Ensemble Contrechamps' concert "Gelidi Mostri", December 2017
Review for Ensemble Contrechamps' concert "By the way" in Dissonance No 40.
Lecture "Problèmes contemporains pour une définition intensionnelle de la musique" at the Lausanne University, March 2017
visited festivals (+ collaborating ensembles and tutors met)
Donaueschinger Musiktage 2022, Next Generation Program
IMPULS 2021 (Graz), with PPCM Ensemble, Peter Ablinger, Dimitrios Polisoidis and Klaus Lang
International Young Composers Academy 2021 (Lugano), with ICTUS ensemble, Mauro Lanza, Oscar Bianchi and Juste Janulyte
Forum Wallis 2019 (Leuk) with Ums n'Jip, Zafraan Ensemble and Fabian Panisello
Mixtur 2019 (Barcelona) with Aleph Gitarrenquartet and Michael Obst
Ferienkürse für neue Musik Darmstadt 2018 with Marko Ciciliani, Milica Djordjevic, Martin Iddon, Isabel Mundry and Rebecca Saunders.
Ferienkürse für neue Musik Darmstadt 2016 (electronic ateliers) with Sebastian Berweck, Susanne Kirchmayr, Hanno Leichtmann, Philipp Sollman and Mario De Vega
SELECTED DATES
upcoming dates:
26.05.2023
New Piece / Gare du Nord, Basel / Ensemble Proton
25.04.2023
New Piece / Dampfzentrale, Bern / Ensemble Proton
14.12.2022
Concert intervention / Gare du Nord, Basel / Ensemble Lemniscate
13.12.2022
Concert intervention / Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zürich / Ensemble Lemniscate
12.12.2022
Concert intervention / PROGR Aula, Bern / Ensemble Lemniscate
past dates:
23.11.2022
Ends as the sound from their own means / Phonos, Barcelona / Delirium Ensemble
29.10.2022
Ends as the sound from their own means / Grosse Halle, Bern / Delirium Ensemble
22.10.2022
Reading of excerpts of CONTENTS / Theater Basel, Kleine Bühne
13.09.2022
Ends as the sound from their own means / Don Bosco, Basel / Delirium Ensemble
03.09.2022
Performance with Maxine Yolanda / Rathaus, Zürich (Lange Nacht der Zürcher Museen)
02.07.2022
CONTENTSwp (film) / ZHdK-Kino, Zürich
15.06.2022
CONTENTSwp (lecture-performance) / ZHdK-Probebühne 1.D05, Zürich.
02.12.2021
Ends as the sound from their own meanswp / Don Bosco, Basel / Delirium Ensemble
01.11.2021
Edgar Varèse and the Jazzmenwp (large ensemble + sampler version) / ZHdK-Konzertsaal 3, Zürich / Arc-en-Ciel Ensemble, Lars Mlekusch (cond.)
25.09.2021
Edgar Varèse and the Jazzmen (quintet + fixed media version) / Wild Gallery, Brussels / ICTUS Ensemble, Tom de Cock (cond.)
11.09.2021
Postproductionswp / Kunstraum Walcheturm, Zürich / Raphaël Belfiore, Killian Perret-Gentil & Benjamin Jaton (performance)
22.08.2021
4-082221-TIPwp / Theater im Palais, Graz / PPCM Ensemble
29.07.2021
Edgar Varèse and the Jazzmenwp (quintet version) / Onlin / ICTUS Ensemble, Tom de Cock (cond.)
03.07.2021
Piano Reduction I, II, IIIwp / ZHdK-Konzertsaal 3, Zürich / Ranko Markovic (piano)
13.06.2021
Luftlinien (SILO version)wp / SILO, Basel
28.10.2020
Means with the sound from their own endswp / Musik-Akademie Basel-Grosser Saal, Basel / Delirium Ensemble, Wiktor Kociuban (cond.)
29.09.2020
Sub Speciewp / ZHdK-Kaskadenhalle, Zürich
07.03.2020
Seven instantiation studieswp / Tonhalle Maag (foyer), Zürich / Jens Bracher (trumpet), Stephen Menotti (trombone)
25.01.2020
Study for moved loudspeaker in open spaceswp (moving electronic apparatus + ambisonic sound system) / ZHdK-Konzertsaal 1, Zürich / Raphaël Belfiore (performance)
13.12.2019
Metal plates and objectswp (concert-installation for solo performer) / ZHdK-Kunstraum, Zürich / Raphaël Belfiore (performance)
29.05.2019
NJwp / CPMDT-Studio D’Agostini, Geneva / Nelson Javet (guitar)
26.07.2018
Flexibility Studywp (solo flügelhorn) / Lichtenbergschule (Mensa), Darmstadt / Chloë Abbott (flügelhorn)
21.04.2018
Room for roomwp (site-specific sound installation) / Cessouest, Nyon
19.03.2018
Gap-induced time stretchingwp (string ensemble) / CPMDT-Studio D’Agostini, Geneva / United Strings of Europe, Franck Fontcouberte (cond.)
17 + 18.02.2017
Sharawadjiwp (8-channel sound installation) / Eeeeh!, Nyon
17.03.2016
Musique Casuelle (live solo performance) / Les Wagons, Sierre
wp = world premiere