Concert and Workshop in Hong Kong

I will play a concert on 24-speakers in the Multimedia Theater at City University of Hong Kong’s Soundlab on April 17. The concert starts at 18:00 and I will also do an artist talk before or after it. I will be playing a structured improvisation on GRM Atelier and will use some other recordings as supporting material.

I will facilitate my workshop “LocationSong” on April 18 at Goethe Institute Hong Kong with the invitation of Eugenia Law, who is the curator of the exhibition that my workshop accompanies: Contemporary Spirit in Engagement and Participation. Going along with the theme of the exhibition, my workshop takes the participants to a location in Hong Kong that is significant socially, environmentally, financially or in some other way. The group makes a field recording at the location, takes it back to the workshop room, analytically listens to it, makes a list of sound events it contains, notates is graphically and then attempts at singing the resulting graphic score. The only criterion of eligibility for attendance is the willingness to listen. No musical knowledge is required.

Lâkin at na-mute-na: Istanbul Electroacoustic Nights

Lâkin, our duo with pianist Neslihan Schmidt will play at na-mute-na: Istanbul Electroacoustic Nights, a concert series co-curated by Zeynep Ayşe Hatipoğlu and Melih Sarıgöl. The concert will be at Galiläakirche in Friedrichshain, Berlin on April 11, 2026. As there are four sets and the music has to end by 10pm, the concert will start promptly at 7:30pm. The flow of the evening is:

-Sarıgöl/Hatipoğlu – Modular Synthesisers, Cello Duo
-Büyükberber – Clarinet, Electronics Solo
-Lâkin : Erel/Schmidt – GRM Atelier, Controllers, Chromaplane, Modular Synth, Prepared Piano Duo
-Gkika/JD Zazie – Violin, Electronics, Turntable Duo

Ephemeral Fragments goes on tour

Our electro-acoustic chamber ensemble Ephemeral Fragments—consisting of Florian Walter on Tubax contrabass saxophone, Emily Wittbrodt on cello, and Korhan Erel on synths and electronics—will start 2026 with a three-concert tour in Switzerland and Austria.

Since 2025 we’ve been glad to be supported by the state of North-Rhine Westphalia as part of its funds for Ensemble Development. Last year we’ve been using these resources to invite outside ears to our rehearsals, for individual feedback and external stylistic stimulus. There have been encounters with the contemporary composer Oxana Omelchuk from Cologne and German music legend Gudrun Gut. While rooted in totally different directions of music, we’ve been thrilled and humbled by both their openness and perspectives upon our music.

Our upcoming concerts will be a showcase of new directions and ideas, which are based more on structured improvisation and compositional elements rather than free improvisation.

The approach encompasses musical modules that we use to shape our music. Each module contains descriptions of gestures, textures, motifs, and other musical components. They do not imply an obligatory order, but we decide on a site-specific dramaturgy for each concert.

Our first concert is on February 15th at Mullbau in Luzern, Switzerland. The other band of the evening is a meeting of Trio SBJ, consisting of Brian Archinal on synthesizer and electronics, Joao Carlos Pacheco on drums and electronics, Silke Strahl on saxophone, and legendary bassist Barry Guy.

Second concert is on February 17th at The Institute in Zürich, where we will propose soundtracks to a collection of silent films:

The Exquisite Thief
Tod Browning (US 1919)

Vicenta
Musidora (FR 1920)

Chôkon
Daisuke Itô (JP 1926)

The tour will end with a concert at Interpenetration in Graz on February 19th, where we’ll share the bill with Gloria Damijan, who will perform a solo set on toy piano, percussion, and objects.

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Later in March, on the 14th, we will also perform at the Naxos Hallenkonzerte series in Frankfurt in collaboration with Oxana Omelchuk, who was one of the outside ears mentoring us. Oxana Omelchuk will play a theremin and a Lyra-8.

The program will consist of both trio and solo sets, as well as smaller constellations blended into a larger performance concept.

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We’ll keep posting updates about current developments at irregular intervals from now on. Our next larger step will be the recording of our second full-length album in early May, so you might expect some updates around that time. Until then, please feel free to follow us on Instagram (yes, we’ve got a band account now) or on our individual socials. You can also subscribe to your irregular newsletter at this link: https://mailchi.mp/21b64c80e7a3/ephemeral-fragments-newsletter

Activities in Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, Utrecht, Wuppertal and Cologne

It’s been quite a while since I posted here. Got lost in existential issues and other stuff.

The concerts in Bulgaria are already over, with a lovely aftertaste. The Goethe-Institut Bulgaria invited me for three concerts and an artist talk in Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo. The Sofia events were part of Sofia Experimental 2025, curated by Vladimir Vlaev. The first concert, on November 5, was at the Goethe headquarters with Vlad’s ImproWise Ensemble and opened the whole festival. I also gave a short artist talk before that one.

On November 8, I played a solo set at Bobbina Culture Center in Sofia. On November 9, I performed another solo at the beautiful TAM in Veliko Tarnovo. It’s a wonderful venue full of warmth and good energy.

Here are two Instagram reels from my concerts in Sofia and Veliko Tarnovo

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQtRuJ5Df9c/ (Sofia)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ2Naq1DS1g/?img_index=2 (Veliko Tarnovo)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQ7AIDAiMbI/

Next, I’ll be at Creative Coding Utrecht on November 22 with artist Sunjoo Lee. Together we’ll present our new audiovisual collaboration Sonified Garden built from our recordings and videos of her Electric Garden. Visit her website for more information on the wonderful Electric Garden. 

The next day, November 23, marks the start of a two-concert mini tour with Ephemeral Fragments. Florian Walter (tubax), Emily Wittbrodt (cello), and I on electronics will play at Solips in Wuppertal, then at Loft Köln on November 24.

Finally, the premiere of my piece Constraint Release for Trio Generator will truly be the final musical happening of 2025 for me. It will take place on December 1 at Acker Stadt Palast. I was very excited (and totally stressed) to compose for the amazing Natalia Pschenitschnikova, Frauke Aulbert, and Anna Clementi!

New Duo: Neslihan Schmidt and Korhan Erel

Pianist Neslihan Schmidt and electronics player Korhan Erel are a newly formed duo. They have set out to develop a repertoire of structured improvisations on prepared piano and electronics. They will play their debut concert at Galiläakirche in Berlin on 10th June, 2025, where they will play structured improvisations and loosely organized music. Doors open at 19:30 and music starts at 20:00.

Neslihan Schmidt is a Berlin-based pianist, educator, composer, and improviser of contemporary music. She was born and raised in Istanbul. She completed her studies as a concert pianist at the State Conservatory of Mimar Sinan University and at the Hochschule für Musik Saar, where she received a scholarship from the University of Saarbrücken due to her exceptional achievements.
Since 1999, concerts and performances in Germany and Turkey.

Neslihan Schmidt regularly accompanies projects with Sasha Waltz & Guests, and she became an integral part of the pedagogical concept of the Kinder- und JugendTanzCompany SW&G. Additionally, she composes for dance projects and for prepared piano. Her artistic work is characterized by her interest in improvisation as solo prepared piano and cooperation with various sound artists.

The second act of this evening will be Only With You, a synthesizer duo with Eliad Wagner (modular synthesizer) and Korhan Erel (Hydrasynth). Eliad and Korhan have been playing since 2021 and will soon release their debut album. Watch the video of their concert at Otherland Bookstore in Berlin in 2023.

Korhan Erel and Eliad Wagner perform at Berlin’s Otherland Bookshore in 2023