A 12-person chamber orchestra will perform a concert specially prepared for the festival, during which we will hear arrangements of the international music of the Hang Em High trio and compositions inspired by the old and present culture of Indochina and Japan. The idea of the project is to present music as a source of inspiration to search for one’s own identity, to capture many styles of modern jazz, improvised music and cultures of the Far East.

In addition to the Hang Em High trio, consisting of Bond (Poland), Alfred Vogel (Austria) and Lucien Dubuis (Switzerland), the concert will feature Chinese musician Guo Gan, playing the traditional instrument erhu, Japanese musician Fumie Hihara, playing the koto, and sextet of the Music Academy / National Forum of Music in Wrocław conducted by Marcin Mirowski.

Hang Em High
The trio was initiated by Bond, Wrocław bassist, the frontman of Miloopa, founder of the Eklektik Session platform. He mostly plays the two-string bass, defining low sounds of the trio. Alfred Vogel plays the drums and percussion. In addition to his Vogelperspektive solo project, he cooperates with leading European jazzmen, Mats Gustafsson, Peter Evans, Kalle Kalima and Peter Madsen. Lucien Dubuis plays the saxophones and clarinets. He has been present on the jazz and improvised music scene for many years (more than 20 albums published already). The list of musicians, with whom he has collaborated with include Marc Ribot, Hans Koch, Daniel Humair, Richie Beirach, Barry Guy. The most recent album by Hang Em High, Tres Testosterones, was published in 2017.

Guo Gan
Born in Shenyang, China. He popularised playing the erhu – a traditional Chinese instrument – in various countries, making him recognizable and giving him the opportunity to play with many outstanding artists. Guo Gan puts his favourite instrument in the foreground and masterfully adapts its sound to any repertoire, band, concert hall and audience, without forgetting about his Chinese musical roots. In this way, he remains faithful to the teachings received in his youth from his father, Guo Jun Ming, who was a master erhuist himself. He has played with the best orchestras in the world, has performed at the Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center in NYC, Symphony Hall in Chicago and at the Victoria Concert Hall.

Fumie Hihara
She started to play the koto when she was 9. Having graduated the Tokyo National University of Fine Art and Music, she started a solo career. Fumie Hihara is a composer of koto music, writes lyrics, stars in plays and films. She also participates in the research on the ancient koto called Haniwa-goto. She recorded four albums in Japan and France, performed at the Opéra National de Lyon, Festival Bourge, Palais de Congres, Musee Guimet.