Nadar Ensemble
Adventure, interdisciplinarity, and above all, a sharp, inquisitive engagement with the world around us—fueled in part by new technologies. These are some of the guiding principles of the Nadar Ensemble, and the values we share with Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (1820–1910), better known by his evocative pseudonym Nadar. A man of dazzling breadth, he was not only a celebrated photographer, balloonist, caricaturist, spy, art critic, and curator, but also the host of informal salons where artists, thinkers, writers, and scientists gathered in vibrant, cross-disciplinary exchange.
In our pluralistic 21st century, the Nadar Ensemble is not solely captivated by contemporary music. We are equally inspired by film, visual art, performance, theater, installation, and everything that moves between or beyond these borders. We seek new forms of musical expression that echo the complexity and energy of today’s world—a world in flux. Our mission is to root new music more deeply in the soil of the present.
Nadar has performed at renowned festivals and venues such as the Darmstadt International Ferienkurse für Neue Musik, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultima Oslo, Musica Strasbourg, Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Platforma Moscow, Holland Festival, Göteborg Opera, Tfnm Zürich, Gaudeamus Utrecht, San Martin Buenos Aires, Acht Brücken Cologne, Tampere Biennale Finland, Harvard University Boston, Gogolfest Kyiv, Cité de la musique Paris, and Warsaw Autumn. We were honored to serve as guest curators for the SPOR festival in Århus.
Though artist-in-residence at DE SINGEL in Antwerp, our roots lie in the city of Sint-Niklaas, famed for its skies dotted with hot air balloons, a fitting symbol for our own lofty ambitions.