XN: Evi Filippou + Robert Lucaciu / Akiko Ahrendt, Annie Bloch + Emily Wittbrodt

Standard £20 // Solidarity £26 // Under 30 £7
Advance booking required
Day Tickets for the full hcmf// x Moers: XN programme are available here 

Our Solidarity ticket price is an opportunity for audiences to support our work by purchasing a ticket at a slightly higher price (the cost of a Standard ticket plus 30%). Read more about Solidarity prices here.

Evi Filippou vibraphone
Robert Lucaciu bass

Akiko Ahrendt violin
Annie Bloch organ
Emily Wittbrodt cello 

Greek vibraphonist Evi Filippou and German-Romanian double bassist Robert Lucaciu bring a fearless duo project that defies categorisation. Rooted in jazz, contemporary classical and Balkan folk traditions, this union of sonic exploration transcends the limits of predefined labels, the essence of their collaboration lying instead in the realm of boundless creativity.  

The intertwining of their unique backgrounds results in an exquisite tapestry of sound, where the vibrancy of Balkan heritage converges with the cosmopolitan influence of contemporary European musical landscapes. Like a delicate thread of free improvisation, their performances unfold in an unscripted dance that mirrors the flow of life itself. Within this tapestry, notes cascade like rivulets of emotion, merging and diverging, encapsulating moments of sorrow, joy, and the indefinable spaces in between.  

Filippou and Lucaciu’s exploration resonates with a shared pursuit of personal expression. In a world coloured by the diversity of their influences, they craft an auditory experience that is both timeless and contemporary—a testament to the way musical traditions and innovations intermingle at the rhythmic core of human experience.  

In the second half of this double bill concert, three singular voices from Germany’s experimental music scene – violinist Akiko Ahrendt, organist Annie Bloch, and cellist Emily Wittbrodt — come together for their first performance as a trio.  

Drawing on their shared history (they have previously collaborated in various projects and formations) to explore the points of friction and harmony between their instruments, this is music made through deep listening and mutual transformation: a space where boundaries blur and traditions dissolve, allowing a complex conversation between the three instruments to emerge. 

While the two string instruments will elicit the fragility and softness of the majestic Town Hall organ, the organ’s richness in colours and dynamics will provoke the strings to unravel their own palette of noisy, rupturous and powerful sounds.  

Curated by Tim Isfort (Festival Director, Moers Festival) and produced by hcmf// as part of hcmf// x Moers: XN 

XN is funded by the Gesellschaft zur Verwertung von Leistungsschutzrechten mbH (GVL) and Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) with the support of Goethe-Institut London 

Photo: Akiko Ahrendt © Frederike Wetzels //  Annie Bloch © Leonie Braun // Emily Wittbrodt @ Ludwig Kuffer // Evi Filippou + Robert Lucaciu © Maria Plecity