Ensemble Hopper

A woman, alone, on the phone, facing the rupture and the silence of her loved one, such is the subject of La Voix humaine, a masterpiece by Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau premiered in 1959. A conversation, interrupted by moments of silence and suspension, evolving from tenderness to passion, from calm to despair. Over the words, the mask she made up is cracking, inevitably reflecting the decline of their story. Next to this text full of modernity, dealing with the inability of dialogue, François Emmanuel signs La Parole seule, a poignant text, this time revealing the words of a young woman to her late father. This monologue, set to music by Lukas Ligeti, provides an exploration of an unprecedented vocality, where the spoken voice and the sung one meet in words alone.

The "HopperLAB!" is a workshop that the Hopper ensemble organises for young composers from the Royal Conservatory of Liège, ARTS² in Mons, the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and the Conservatorium Maastricht. One student from each composition class has been invited to write a piece on which they have the opportunity to work with the ensemble during multiple days of workshops. These work sessions culminate in a concert. The four composition teachers guide the students throughout the evolution of their pieces with valuable advice and the musicians of the Hopper ensemble are there to answer the more instrumental technical questions.

THE LINE, is the possibility for the Ensemble and its nine musicians to present their own programs, new pieces that they adore, to meet their public in a festive atmosphere.