Jakob Nierenz: Speaking in Tongues

»Speaking in Tongues« – this title refers to a phenomenon in which people speak languages apparently unknown to them. Beethovenfest Fellow Jakob Nierenz brings together musicians of the African diaspora who explore the feelings of home and foreignness, belonging and exclusion. In several intensive sessions, they create new compositions, taking inspiration both from the dynamics of this collaboration and from the musical heritage of people of the African diaspora in the USA, Europe, and around the world – on equal footing, experimentally, and with an open mind. They include music from the countries of their family origins: Nigeria, Kenya, the USA, Germany, and Great Britain, creating transitions with improvisations and text samples about Black identity – resulting in a thrilling performance.

A production of Beethovenfest Bonn

The Fellowship Programme is sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city of Bonn