About This:
The Rosa Ensemble operates in between: in between composed and improvised, in between music and theatre, in between light and serious, in between acoustic and electronic, traditional and experimental, classical and popular. Rosa is constantly on the move and produces music, theatre, performances and concerts – often in cooperation with other artists. Their music is playful, exciting and theatrical, but also strange, unruly and elusive. The ensemble started in 1997 as an ensemble for contemporary music; the first performance was Diepe Wildernis, based on the famous book by Brazilian writer Guimaraes Rosa. In the course of the following ten years Rosa slowly drifted away from the idiom of contemporary music. Their sound changed, electronics were introduced, as well as guitar and bass guitar. Their performances became increasingly theatrical an in 2007 Rosa celebrated their ten-year anniversary with a new version of Diepe Wildernis (Diepe Wildernis, Aniversie. 2007). Currently ‘Rosa Ensemble’ means several things: music theatre, such as the multimedia surround performance Anticantate (2009), integrating music, video and text. Concerts, exploring their experimental “pop” sound - a poetical mix of richly arranged compositions, swinging rhythms, warm, human electronics and strange lyrics. And lastly the annual Rosa sub Rosa project, inviting students to join in and work for and with the ensemble for a short period of time creating a performance. Whether one calls it arty pop music or popular art music, the Rosa Ensemble is the Rosa Ensemble: for those who like adventurous music, eclectic never sounded so self-evident.