UMS 'n JIP ['umsnjip]. Founded by Ulrike Mayer-Spohn [UMS] and Javier Hagen [JIP], UMS 'n JIP is one of the most active contemporary music ensembles worldwide performing >100 international concerts annually, including mobile chamber operas & multimedia performances. They can look back on more than 650 concerts and 150 commissioned works since 2007. Since their studies (composition, audio design & musical performance) in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, UMS and JIP have been invited to prestigious contemporary music and theatre festivals (Avignon, Paris, Strasbourg, Marseille, TKF Zürich, TKF Lausanne, Lucerne, Basel, Bern, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, Ulan Bator, New York, Donaueschingen, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Berlin, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Riga, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, Adelaide) where they have premiered more than 200 works as soloists and as a duo, collaborating with both world famous and aspiring young composers such as Heiner Goebbels, Wolfgang Rihm, Mauricio Kagel, Aribert Reimann, Peter Eötvös, Luis Codera Puzo, Erik Ona, Vladimir Gorlinsky, Chikashi Miyama, Huang Ruo, Wen Deqing and Guo Wenjing. UMS 'n JIP explore new musical and scenic settings for voice, recorders and electronics ranging from live to digital performance as well as European and non-European music. Collaboration providing common research, rehearsals and recordings with the individual composers over several years as well as an exceptionally high number of performances all around the world mean that the works commissioned by UMS 'n JIP are among the most often performed compositions by such composers. Although UMS ’n JIP do handle an impressive workload, their aim is not to premiere as much as possible but to perform new works as often as possible - since works basically grow by being performed. UMS 'n JIP are also involved in the direction of the Swiss Contemporary Music Festival Forum : : Wallis, chaired by the International Society for Contemporary Music Wallis/Switzerland IGNM-VS. JIP is the current president of ISCM Switzerland as well as board member of the European Conference of Promoters of New Music ECPNM, Swissfestivals and of the UNESCO Commission for the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Canton of Valais. Within these structures, UMS 'n JIP have initiated more than 200 additional projects and commissions. Since 2013 UMS 'n JIP have taken part in two international research projects: The Recorder Map and i-Treasures. The duo are coached by Irvine Arditti, leader of the world renowned London-based Arditti Quartet.

UMS 'n JIP: A CHRONOLOGY

2007. UMS 'n JIP's startup was "riviu 99.7", compiling pieces by Cage, Lehmann, Kagel, Schnebel and Aperghis at "schauwerk-blackbox", part of the Schweizer Tonkünstlerfest 2007 in Theaterhaus Gessnerallee Zürich (7/07). During the innovative festival Forum Valais four world premieres by Beat Gysin, Andreas Zurbriggen and UMS 'n JIP were been recorded by Radio Suisse Romande Espace 2 and been highly acclaimed by various Swiss musical chroniclers (9/07). With the world famous Japanese actor and poet Ron Obe UMS 'n JIP premiered 4 works by Maria Porten in Zürich and Basel (Ferne Schritte.Nähe, 9/07).

2008. For the Swiss dance company Interface, UMS 'n JIP participated in the soundtrack to "La Légende Dorée" – a ballet taken on tour worldwide from 2008-11 (3/08). Collaborating with Swiss Radio UMS 'n JIP recorded "lebelight" by Swiss female composer Maria Porten for the Swiss label VDE-Gallo - "Es war einst ein Paradies" (6/08). At the Theatre Interface in Sion UMS 'n JIP's first full scenical program "1 (ONE)" with pieces by Thorsten Töpp and Maria Porten and UMS and JIP themselves as composers was successfully premiered (10/08).

2009. The duo's "China Project" with commissions for Chinese composers Du Yun, Tao Yu, Deqing Wen, Huang Ruo as well as with Yulong Mao´s famous traditional Chinese Music trio went on tour in both Switzerland and China (Shanghai New Music Days) from January-October 2009. "1 (ONE)" was invited to the Festival d'Avignon, France, Théâtre Gilgamesh, where it was performed daily from 8-31.7. 2009. At the Fête Suisse des Musiciens in Lausanne, UMS 'n JIP premiere "Mora-Mori" by female Korean composer Junghae Lee (9/09). Its second chamber opera "2 (TWO)" compiling electropop works by both UMS and JIP was premiered at Theatre Interface in Sion and Zeughaus Kultur Brig in December 2009.

2010. UMS 'n JIP tour in Switzerland (spring), in the USA (NYC) and East Asia (both in autumn). Premieres by Maria Porten collaborating with Paul W. Taylor and Werner Bärtschi were scheduled for spring and winter 2010. Tonhalle Zürich debut in March. In July, UMS 'n JIP return to Avignon (Palais Royal) with 3 different programs: China Project, Swiss Project and with the electropop opera TWO. In September 2010 UMS 'n JIP premiere their third scenical program "3 (THREE, Esperanto Electropop Opera)" in Sierre, Sion and Brig. In 2010 UMS 'n JIP offer commissions to Guo Wenjing, Chen Yeungping, Liu Jian, Tam Chin Fai, Phoebus Lee, Roland Dahinden and Maria Porten.

2011. Switzerland tour with Esperanto Electropop Opera "THREE", "The Russia Project" in December in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov), an Avignon Festival residence (July 2011), UMS 'n JIP's fourth chamber opera FOUR (The Creation) with a Switzerland and France tour, invitations from Forum Neue Musik Luzern, (ONE in Feb 2011), Contemporary Music Festival Oggi Musica (TWO in Oct 2011), as well as world premieres by Swiss composers Max E. Keller, Pierre-André Bovey, Markus Hofer, Maria Porten (collaborating with Carmina Quartet and Gian Manuel Rau), all of them recorded by Swiss Radio DRS2, in February 2011 UMS 'n JIP premiered Painted Skin, a mini opera by New York based Chinese composer Huang Ruo. UMS's works won prizes at Musikfestival Bern and Music Village Mount Pelion Greece where they were premiered by conductors Beat Furrer and Mark Foster. UMS 'n JIP won the renowned MusiquePro grant 2011-13 and were coached by Irvine Arditti. Further collaborations with South African composer Pierre-Henri Wicomb and Alain Michon (France).

2012: A total of 136 performances all around the world - a breathtaking amount and probably a world record! Concert tours in Australia (Adelaide), Mongolia (Roaring Hooves), Russia (Rostov/Taganrog), France (Avignon Festival), Greece (Thessaloniki), Latvia (UMS 'n JIP is the first foreigner ensemble to be invited to Latvian New Music Days) presenting contemporary classics by Cage, Berio, Kagel, Aperghis as well as premieres by Chinese, Russian, Latvian, Arab and Swiss composers, two successfully premiered chamber operas collaborating with stage directors Gian Manuel Rau (Einer) and Wolfgang Beuschel FIVE (Grimm's Tales), composition awards at MATA Festival New York and European Youth Choir Festival Basel. Nov 23-Dec 2: '5 years UMS 'n JIP' in Basel and Brig celebrating five extraordinary years with more than 400 concerts and 94 world premieres worldwide.

2013: 123 performances all around the world - UMS 'n JIP is now by far the most active Swiss contemporary music ensemble and ranks among the most active ensembles worldwide. Concert tours in Spain (Mixtur Barcelona, ME_MMIX Palma), France (Reine Blanche Paris, IRCAM, Avignon Festival), Germany (Randspiele Berlin, Solitude Stuttgart, ZKM, LMU München), Greece (Thessaloniki State Orchestra Concert Hall), Turkey (ITU MIAM, Babylon Istanbul), Lithuania (ICT Vilnius) and Switzerland totalling 30 world premieres! 2 CD releases in Switzerland featuring works by both UMS and JIP, commissions for both UMS and JIP premiered by dissonArt ensemble (Dimitria Festival), Basler Madrigalisten (Stadt Casino Basel), Paul Taylor Orchestra (Tonhalle Zürich), Ensemble Phoenix and InverSpace (Russian Composer's Union Moscow), two international research projects (Recorder Map and i-Treasures) and finally JIP's Prix Culturel de l'Etat du Valais 2013 as well as his election as ISCM Switzerland's new president.

2014. More than 600 concerts and 140 world premieres since 2007! Concert tours in Latvia (both in Feb/Nov at JVLMA and Arena Festival including recordings for Latvian Radio), Sweden (both in April/November among others at Sound of Stockholm Festival), Spain (in May/June/July/November at ME_MMIX, Sirga, Mallorca Summer Academy, Projecte Rafel, Encuentros Sonoros), Japan (in May/September at Kunitachi), USA (March), France (Avignon, Mulhouse, Paris, Reims with recordings for France Musique/Radio France), Greece (in August/September at Music Village and ICMC Athens), UMS 'n JIP were supported by the Spanish Government through Accion Cultural Espanola (AC/E) for their powerful international promotion of contemporary Spanish music (>50 concerts in 9 countries since 4/2013). CD release together with Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche and CrossingLines Ensemble for col legno featuring works by Luis Codera Puzo funded by Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung. JIP elected jury member of the ISCM Young Composers Award at the ISCM World Music Days Wroclaw 2014. Both UMS 'n JIP are commissioned new works performed by Ensemble Phoenix Basel (Projekt Trabant), UmeDuo (Sweden) and Männerstimmen Basel. JIP's distorted folksong arrangements performed at European Youth Choir Festival Basel EJCF. And, of course, regular concert tours in Switzerland (Basel, Zürich, Valais, Bern).

UMS (BIOGRAPHY).

Extraordinary diversity describes the composer and multi-instrumentalist Ulrike Mayer-Spohn who plays the recorder (with a focus on contemporary music), as well as historical string instruments (fiddle and baroque violin). She studied composition and audio design with Erik Oña at the Studio of Electronic Music, Academy of Music, Basel, beginning to compose in 2007, and receiving commissions from the festival Forum Valais and the international New Music Days, Shanghai. Her work has been performed by the Stuttgart Vocal soloists, Ensemble Phoenix Basel, Vertigo, DissonArt, L'Arsenale, cool a cappella (1st Prize world choir games 2008) and her own ensemble Ums' n Jip in Switzerland, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, Australia, the USA and China, premiered under the baton of Beat Furrer, Mark Foster, Tsung Yeh, Jürg Henneberger and Filippo Perocco and broadcast by the Swiss radio. She was awarded the 2nd Prize in the composition competition Culturescapes 2010, 2nd Prize in the composition competition at the Bern music festival 2011, the Scholarship Award for 2011 at the Music Village Mount Pelion in Greece and the Call for Scores Award L'Arsenale Treviso, Italy 2011. In the ensemble Ums' n Jip she has undertaken research in the field of musical theater (chamber operas One, Two, Three, Four, Five), live electronic music and sound spacialization. She studied recorder with Ulrike Mauerhofer at the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe, with Conrad Steinmann and Corina Marti at the Schola Cantorum Basel before specializing in contemporary music and studying with Dorothea Winter at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. From 2009-11 she studied for a specialized master's degree in contemporary performance at the HSM in Basel supervised by Jürg Henneberger, Marcus Weiss and Mike Svoboda and has taken masterclasses with Marion Verbruggen, Peter van Heyghen, Sebastien Marq and Gerd Lünenbürger. She studied baroque violin and viola with Martina Graulich and David Plantier and fiddle with Randal Cook in Basel. Ulrike Mayer-Spohn works with internationally leading composers and annually plays more than 20 world premieres dedicated to her, which she has recorded for the radio as well as VDE Gallo on CD. Together with the Swiss composer and singer Javier Hagen, she established the experimental new music duo Ums `N Jip for voice, recorder and electronics, which, alongside the Ensemble Modern, Intercontemporain and Kronos is one of the most active ensembles worldwide and in 2011 won the prestigious MusiquePro scholarship. Since 1999, Ulrike Mayer-Spohn has also performed as a recorder player, violinist, violist and fiddle player in specialized early music ensembles such as the Amsterdam Barok Compagnie, Freitagsakademie, Collegium Musicum Stuttgart, La Chapelle Ancienne, Musica Poetica, Muscadin and La Morra and has performed in Germany, China, the Netherlands, France, Spain, Italy and Switzerland. www.ulrikems.info

JIP (Biography).

Javier Hagen is one of the most astonishing classical singers of his generation: new music, performance art and Swiss folk music rank equally in his repertoire alongside opera and early music. Hagen was born in 1971 in Barcelona on the Mediterranean and raised in the Valais Alps. He studied classical singing (both tenor and countertenor) in Germany, Italy and Switzerland with Roland Hermann, Alain Billard and Nicolai Gedda, and composition with Heiner Goebbels and Wolfgang Rihm. He studied Lied with Irwin Gage, Hartmut Holl and Ernst Haefliger and early music with Karel van Steenhoven and Kees Boeke. He has a four-octave vocal range. Hagen has worked with world-class composers such as Reimann, Kagel, Rosemann and Eötvös and leading artists from the worlds of poetry and constructivist art. Guest appearances have taken him to the modern music festivals in Donaueschingen, Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne, Karlsruhe, Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Bologna, Milan, Prague, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Adelaide, Riga, Avignon and Berlin. Alongside operatic roles such as Handel's Giulio Cesare, Zsupan (Kalman), Dardanus (Rameau), Stanislaus (Zeller) and Pappacoda (Strauss), Javier Hagen has premiered more than 200 works, including operas 'à l'air en verre' by Daniel Mouthon 'eismeer' by Christoph Schiller, 'poem ohne held' by Regina Irman, 'esther de racine' by Boris Yoffe, 'The Madman's Diary' by Guo Wenjing, 'Marienglas' by Beat Gysin, 'Les Musiciens de Brème' by Wen Deqing, 'Keyner nit' by Mathias Steinauer and almost all vocal works by Maria Porten. He has made more than 50 recordings and broadcasts for Swiss and German radio and television. He won prizes at international contemporary music and composition competitions in 2001, 2004 and 2008 in Basel, Lausanne and Dusseldorf. In 2003, his distorted folk song arrangements "s´sch mr alles 1 Ding" were released on CD on the Swiss label "musiques suisses". His compositions, in particular the vocal works, are performed throughout Europe, Israel, China, Korea, Russia, Australia, North and Central America, by ensembles and conductors including Titus Engel, Ensemble Phoenix, Basler Madrigalisten, Schweizer Jugendchor, Philip Bride, Eliana Burki, Amar Quartet. In 2012, a selection of his graphic scores was shown at the prestigious Museum of Modern Art ‘haus konstruktiv’ in Zurich. At the European Youth Choir Festival 2012, Javier Hagen represented German-speaking Switzerland in the context of 'Swiss Composers meet Europe'. With Ulrike Mayer-Spohn, Hagen formed the experimental new music duo UMS 'N JIP, which, with over 100 concerts annually is one of the most active contemporary music ensembles around the world and winner of the prestigious scholarship MusiquePro. Javier Hagen, who speaks 6 languages, also directs the international contemporary music festival Forum Wallis. He is an expert on experimental music theater for the University of Arts in Bern, President of the International Society for Contemporary Music Wallis / Switzerland ISCM VS, as well as a board member of ISCM Switzerland. He presents guest lectures at universities in Shanghai, Moscow, Adelaide, Thessaloniki, Barcelona, Paris, Riga and Hong Kong. He is a jury member at national and international composition and new music competitions and a member of various committees on behalf of Valais and for the inventory of the cultural heritage on behalf of UNESCO. In 2007 he was nominated for "Walliser of the Year." In 2013 he was awarded the Prix Culturel de l'Etat du Valais. www.javierhagen.ch

UMS 'n JIP PERFORMING ARTS ASSOCIATION.

The UMS 'n JIP Association is a non-profit organization based in Brig, Switzerland. The mission of UMS 'n JIP is to continually re-imagine the contemporary (classical) music experience. UMS 'n JIP fulfil their mission by commissioning, performing, composing, presenting, recording and publishing contemporary music, and collaborating with, mentoring, and encouraging other artists. UMS 'n JIP commission new works each season (2013: 30) and perform more than 100 concerts a year (2012: 136), touring for several weeks annually. Performances often include educational activities in conjunction with various structures and touring engagements in both rural communities as well as large urban centers. UMS 'n JIP continually strive to reach, challenge, and expand audiences that rarely have the opportunity to attend performances of contemporary music. The duo also maintains a commitment to education by participating in concert discussions, benefit performances, classroom visits, open rehearsals, master classes, coaching sessions, and performances in schools to reach a diverse range of groups including elementary, secondary, and university age students. UMS 'n JIP are self-managed and have an office in Brig, Switzerland, handling all of UMS 'n JIP's business, such as booking, travel, promotion, production, and fund-raising. The organization is funded by individuals, foundations, and government sources, including: Etat du Valais, Pro Helvetia, Acción Cultural Española, Loterie Romande, Stanley Thomas Johnson Stiftung, Artephila Stiftung, Ernst Göhner Stiftung, Migros Kulturprozent, among others. To donate to UMS 'n JIP Association and help to commission composers and perform new work, click here.

FAQ

Does the UMS 'n JIP Performing Arts Association accept charitable donations?
As a non-profit charitable organization, UMS 'n JIP's association relies on financial contributions from individuals, foundations, corporations and, government agencies. Click here to find out how you can donate.

Do you accept unsolicited compositions?
UMS 'n JIP do accept unsolicited compositions, but note that any material submitted will not be returned. Although scores are acceptable, recordings are much preferred. Please send your package to our office address. Because of the volume of submissions, we cannot acknowledge receipt of your package. Please include your contact information, so that we can reach you if there is interest in adding your work to the repertoire.

Can you send me sheet music for a piece in the UMS 'n JIP repertoire?
We are not music publishers, and are therefore not allowed to send out copies of music in our library for other groups' use. Please contact the publisher of the piece you're interested in for scores and parts.

When will UMS 'n JIP be performing in my area?
Click here for the current performance schedule.

How do I get information about booking UMS 'n JIP?
Please e-mail details to UMS 'n JIP's Production Office.