ŒUVRES EN REGARDS
Call for entries – composition commissions

1)        Project

Music often has secret links with painting and sculpture. Many composers have drawn inspiration from visual artworks when writing music. These links are sometimes audible, but often the connection is lost over time.

This project aims to juxtapose paintings and sculptures with music written especially for the occasion. With Œuvres en regards, the concept takes on a very special twist: it is children who are performing, and it is for them that the scores are being written by young artists training in composition or by alumni (who graduated in 2020 or later).

Seven composers from Swiss Music Universities are writing a new piece specifically linked to a work on display at the Geneva Musée d’Art et d’Histoire (MAH).

Seven different groups of pupils from Geneva’s conservatoires – strings, wind instruments, percussion and choir – are each preparing a composition. Ensemble Vide is responsible for liaising between the composers, the teachers and the pupils.

The concert will take place during Nuit des Musées – Museum Night on 21 May 2027, directly in front of the artwork chosen by the composers and therefore in various rooms of the MAH.

2)        Timetable for composers

18 October 2026:
Deadline for submitting applications to the Ensemble Vide selection panel. Based on the sounds and scores, seven composers will be selected.
Ensemble Vide will form the ensemble–composer pairs.

Late October 2026: 
The selected composers will travel to Geneva to visit the museum and choose a work of art (painting, sculpture, etc.) to serve as the basis – or source – for their composition. (Travel expenses will be covered by Ensemble Vide).

11 January 2027:
Deadline for submission of works

3)        Candidate profile

- Students at conservatoires or similar institutions
- Alumni (who graduated in 2020 or later)
- Residents of Switzerland or cross-border commuters

4)        Composition criteria

Duration: ~ 5 to 10 minutes
For: small instrumental or vocal ensemble (to be specified later)
Musical notation: no specific requirements (graphic scores, notes, etc.), but the notation must be appropriate for the pupils’ level

5)        Applications

Please email the following to info@ensemblevide.ch, with the subject line ‘Call for entries: Œuvres en regards – Full name’:
- An existing score and a recording
- A CV
- Any other relevant information

6)        Fees

Composition fee: CHF 700.-
Travel and accommodation expenses covered by Ensemble Vide.

Se faire jour (To Come to Light) is a new work by composer Denis Schuler, commissioned by the Ensemble Vide and developed over an extended period punctuated by three residencies. The piece brings together two singers and a violinist, who work closely with the composer.

The music unfolds in a continuous flow, composed of slow, repetitive melodic lines that evoke the trickling of water or the breath of the wind—perceptible, enveloping, yet invisible. The exchanges, narratives, and shared presence nourish a fragile yet persistent soundscape, attuned to the musical moment.

The inspiration draws on two vocal traditions separated by time and space. The voice of Beatritz de Dia, a 12th-century trobairitz, emerges subtly through “chantar m’ér de çò qu’eu no volria,” the only surviving song by a female troubadour that retains its melody, conveying a message of strength and independence. This medieval source resonates with the Neapolitan tammurriata, a collective practice based on repetition, improvisation, and a circular sense of time, inviting listeners to escape the everyday. Initiated by Denis Schuler bringing together Juliet Fraser, Clara Levy, and Marianne Schuppe—or perhaps born from their very meeting—Se faire jour engages these four protagonists from different generations in a process of deep listening, sharing, and focus on the present moment. The concert will allow the audience to immerse themselves in this exploration through a sensitive and open listening experience.

Cordes tressées (braided strings) brings together Iranian musician Neda Joukar—a composer and târ player accompanied by vocalist Sara Eghlimi—and an Italian Baroque trio—featuring baroque guitar, lute, and theorbo (Matteo Mela, Lorenzo Micheli, and Massimo Lonardi)—along with soprano Renata Fusco. Here is a bundle of strings that intertwine and weave together.

The Baroque and Persian musical traditions are fundamentally rooted in oral transmission and improvisation, as well as in research into historical sources. Driven by sensitive listening and subtle work with sound—from the delicate plucking of the strings to melodies based on modes—these two musical worlds weave a vibrant dialogue with the present. All virtuosos on their instruments, the Italian musicians and Renata Fusco will perform folk songs drawn from various Italian regional dialects, while Neda Joukar will present her own compositions and a Persian repertoire currently in development. The melodies will resonate with contemporary Persian poetry sung by Sara Eghlimi.

Presented at the Société des Arts, the concert will take place in the beautiful Salle Saint-Ours, where the audience will be seated close to the musicians to fully appreciate the delicacy of the strings.

This new work by Samuel Reinhard—a composition commissioned by Ensemble Vide—marks the artist’s first opportunity to work for percussion and voice, a configuration he has long wanted to explore. His reflections and initial ideas outline a structural framework and a dynamic unique to this upcoming work.

Samuel Reinhard works with motif cells of varying duration and scope, interspersed with moments of free improvisation that draw on each musician’s skills and experience. The question of choice is central to the performance here, and the artists’ decision-making abilities give rise to infinitely rich variations, within a timeframe that is nonetheless strictly defined by the composer.

The Ensemble Vide is already looking forward to the result and to working with the performers—students and established artists alike—and with Samuel: a project that is undoubtedly profound, demanding, and committed, to be generously shared with the public at the Archipel Festival in 2027.

Music often has secret connections to painting and sculpture. Many composers have drawn inspiration from works of art when writing music. These connections are sometimes audible, but often the trail is lost over time.

This project aims to juxtapose paintings and sculptures with music written specifically for the occasion. With Œuvres en regards, the concept takes on a unique twist: the performers are children, and the scores are written for them by young artists still training in the field of composition.

Seven composers currently studying in Geneva, Lausanne, Bern, Basel, Zurich, Lucerne, or Lugano are each writing a new piece specifically inspired by a work on display at the Geneva Museum of Art and History.

Seven different groups of students from Geneva’s conservatories—strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and choir—are each preparing a composition.

The concert will take place during Museum Night 2027, in late May, directly in front of the artwork chosen by the composers and thus in various rooms of the MAH.