ARK Saariaho

ARK is a 4-year co-production with music center De Bijloke, which started in January 2024. Within the concert program, we present three tailor-made creations: ARK Saariaho, ARK Stravinsky and ARK Hildegard.

Echoes in the Winter Light

In the icy stillness of winter, a butterfly floats - its movements fading into the calm. Traces of the past echo gently, like a distant memory. And then... the silence of nothingness. But slowly, as if touched by an invisible force, life begins to return. Emptiness gives way to space, where anything can emerge.

In a visual sound installation, a dancer and two musicians guide the audience on a profound journey through the enchanting world of contemporary music by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

For

Children from 4 months to 24 months

With

Liesbeth Bodyn (direction & singing), Jeroen Van der Fraenen (scenography & lighting design), Rebecca Van Bogaert (flutes & singing), Annemie Osborne (cello & singing), Tchi-ann Liu (dance & singing)

Pictures

Rebecca Van Bogaert, fluiten & zang Annemie Osborne, cello & zang Tchi-ann Liu, dans & viool Liesbeth Bodyn, artistieke leiding, creatie & zang Jeroen Van der Fraenen, ontwerp & scenografie ARK is een productie van Klankennest en Muziekcentrum De Bijloke

“My one-year-old son and I were enchanted by these spring nymphs who, moving, making music, and singing, created a universe in a meticulously detailed setting of pastel colors and life-sized eggs.

The instruments themselves and the performance captivated both young and old.

All of this takes place in a very gentle atmosphere that gives children all the space they need to take everything in and, if they wish, to explore the space on their own. We are incredibly grateful for this experience and don’t want to miss a single Sound Nest performance from now on!”

(L & J)

"With ARK Saariaho, the company Sound Nest once again demonstrates its talent for creating emotion with intelligence and the utmost care. This suspended moment manages to lift both young children and adults out of the energy of everyday life to share a profound and gentle musical experience.

There truly is a before and after the performance ARK Saariaho. Many parents and early childhood educators have shared with me the emotion they felt upon witnessing the children’s blossoming through music and their interaction with the artists. It is a performance that is at once so simple and yet so generous toward its audience."

(Céline Hentz – Head of Audiences and Mini Musica, Festival Musica, Strasbourg)