Five musicians from different countries and working in various artistic environments will meet at the Jazztopad Festival to present themselves to the Wrocław audience as a band. Yet nothing here is accidental – the artists were selected to participate in this musical experiment by the curators of the most important European festivals.

The quintet features the Iranian clarinetist, performer and composer Mona Matbou Riahi. She studied at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. She has collaborated with such icons as Anthony Braxton, Anja Lechner and François Couturier, and her name appears in the catalogue of the ECM label. Tuva Halse has recently started her career and has already won several Norwegian awards and scholarships. Last year, she completed her bachelor’s degree in jazz violin at the Trondheim Conservatory of Music and was artist-in-residence at the Fjord Cadenza festival. Coming from Buenos Aires, Camila Nebbia lives in Berlin, where she is active not only as a saxophonist, but also as a curator of artistic events. She studied classical music and jazz and has a training in film directing. She has an extensive discography, including albums by her own quartet, sextet and tentet, in addition to recordings with Susana Santos Silva, Patrick Shiroishi and Da vid Bennet.

Louise van den Heuvel is considered one of the leaders of the Dutch jazz new wave. He plays the bass guitar. Searching for new sounds, he combines genres, draws from electronics and jazz rock. The most famous formation he plays with is Dishwasher, which is inspired by Shabaka Hutchings, Aphex Twin and Squarepusher. The bassist read the first positive reviews of the group’s debut released this year during breaks in the recording sessions of her new band Sonic Hug. Drummer Hubert Zemler is a sensational improviser, but also an insightful interpreter; a clear leader who also feels good as a member of larger formations. He combines contemporary music with performances in Mitch & Mitch or with writing compositions for films and animations.