Draped in light, we touch…

2 flutists, including 1 piccoloist, dressed in micro-ties; 6, or three times two, disheveled saxophonists of different sizes; 1 sousaphonist and his tie; 1 relentless drummer; 3 trombonists, including one bass trombonist, with their mutes; 3 trumpet, fluegelhorn, mellophone, and euphonium players, depending on their moods; 1 guitarist and his omnipotent pedals.

…But in the shadows, we see…

Geniuses of lights and sound, masters of the cajon, rendering the orchestra’s destiny in decibels and beats; 1 graphic designer, reflecting as she traces the group’s near future in lines on paper; 1 administration/programming/production department – that is, a bunch of people united to make croissants rain at breakfast.

The orchestra is a collective. All our operations—in terms of people and projects alike—are run using a horizontal model.

The Music

Made entirely of original compositions by members of the ensemble, our repertoire is eclectic. It blends themes equal parts crystalline, twisted and clever. Our music is all kinds of jazz, it’s pop in three-four time, it’s nonsense to dance to, it’s tight big band-style compositions. Every proposal we make is an overture to the wild winds of improvisation.

Since day one, we have embraced a whimsical type of directed collective improvisation, also called sound painting. Developed collectively, and based on Walter Thompson’s[1] research, this gestural language allows each musician to exit the ranks and momentarily guide the orchestra. In the moment they split from the group, they may choose to twist open the bars of a verse and let the unknown rush in, or surreptitiously close the gates on a bygone musical path. Even as these interventions allow the repertoire to evolve, they inspire spur-of-the-moment orchestral invention that is free and spontaneous, ever-shifting and always new.

[1] Walter Thompson is an American musician who has worked for the past thirty years to develop a language of improvisation entirely based on gestures, called sound painting. As a system that is simple, expansive, and cohesive, sound painting attracts musicians and dancers alike. To learn more, check out: http://www.soundpainting.com/walter-thompson/

Members of Surnatural Orchestra

There are many…

Currently playing with the orchestra

Bertrand Landhauser (trombone), Camille Secheppet (alto saxophone, clarinet), Christelle Séry (guitar), Clea Torales (flute, alto saxophone), Fabien Debellefontaine (sousaphone), Fanny Martin (flutes), Guillaume Christophel (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Hanno Baumfelder (trombone), Hector Léna Schroll (trumpet), Ianik Tallet (drums), Jeannot Salvatori (alto saxophone), Julien Rousseau (trumpet, euphonium), Martin Daguerre (baritone saxophone), Morgan Pommier (bass trombone), Nicolas Stephan (alto saxophone)

Anne Palomeres (lighting, stage management), Coline Prunaret (production), Guadalupe Marín Burgin (illustration, graphic design), Nathalie Duong (production, promotion), Rose Bruneau (sound engineer), Thomas Gold (administration, production), Zak Cammoun (sound engineer)

 

Past, present, and occasional members (it’s a long story!)

Adrien Amey (soprano, alto and sopranino saxophones), Agnès Lété (administration), Alain Français (sound), Antonin Leymarie (drums), Antoine Berjeaut (trumpet, flugelhorn), Antoine Berland (keyboards), Arnaud Laprêt (percussion), Arthur Alard (percussion), Aymeric Avice (trumpet), Aymeric Sache (baritone saxophone), Baptiste Bouquin (alto saxophone, clarinet), Basile Naudet (alto saxophone, guitar), Benoît Alziary (vibraphone, external ear), Benoît Gilg (sound), Boris Boublil (keyboards, guitar), Brice Perda (sousaphone), Brice Pichard (trumpet), Camille Lévêque (sound engineering), Camille Sauvage (graphic design), Caroline Pageaud (graphic design), Catherine Cristofari (communications), Christine Nissim (administration), Corentin Vigot (sound), Claire Van Waerbeke (flute), Cristobal Diaz (percussion), Csaba Palotaï (guitar), Damien Christéa (lighting), Elizabeth Saint-Jalmes (set design), Fabrice Theuillon (baritone saxophone), Fanny Ménégoz (flutes, vocals), Fidel Fourneyron (bass tuba, trombone), Françoise Pelherbe (flute, vocals), Gabriel Levasseur (trumpet), Gaspard Manesse (trumpet), Geoffrey Durcak (sound), Giovanni Hector (trombone), Guillaume De la Villéon (sound), Guillaume Dutrieux (trumpet), Guillaume Magne (guitar), Hansen Limtung (alto saxophone), Hugues Mayot (tenor saxophone), Izidor Leitinger (trumpet), Jacques-Benoît Dardant (lighting),Jean-François Riffaut (guitar, keyboards), Jean-Pascal Molina (drums), Jean-Philippe Feiss (cello), Jérôme Ballero (sousaphone), Jérôme Sautton (flute), Jérôme Bertin (tour manager), Jérôme Tisserand (promotion), Judith Lune Janssen (trumpet), Judith Wekstein (bass trombone), Julien Couzy (production and promotion), Julien Omé (guitar), Katia Petrowick (dance, choreography), Laurent Géhant (sousaphone), Léa Ciechelski (flutes, alto and soprano saxophones), Manu Céalis (lighting), Manu Martin (sound), Manu Penfeunteun (drums), Marc Chonier (press officer), Marie-Edith Roussillon (production/distribution), Marielle Chatain (baritone saxophone), Maxence Tual (actor), Morgane Carnet (baritone & tenor saxophones), Naïé Dutrieux (flute), Nicolas Flesch (lyrics, vocals), Nicolas Legendre (circus technical director), Nicolas Souchal (trumpet), Philippe Bouttier (stage manager), Philippe Cortez (trombone), Pierre Déaux (trombone), Pierre Millet (trumpet), Raphaël Quenehen (alto saxophone), Robin Fincker (tenor saxophone), Roselyne Burger (circus sound), Sébastien Brun (drums), Shan Lefrant (sousaphone), Solenne Capmas (costumes), Stéphane Montigny (trombone), Sylvain Lemêtre (percussion), Sylvain Mazens (trombone), Sylvain Tamalet (baritone saxophone), Sylvaine Hélary (flute), Théo Girard (bass), Thomas Sisqueille (drums, percussion), Timothée Quost (trumpet), Valentin Calori (orchestral sound design), Yann Jankielewicz (trombone), Yann Priest (trumpet), Zoé Jarry (circus sound design)