George Demetriou is a Cypriot-born composer-performer with an interest in multidisciplinary performance and songwriting. Having spent the first three years of his studies at CvA experimenting with visual formats and electroacoustic composition, he is currently returning to his roots as a songwriter, developing an album that blends melody-driven composition with drone music, punk-infused guitars, wailing vocals, electronics and tape recorders.

About A Selection of Songs
For this year's Composers' Festival, George will present a selection of songs that have been written in the past four years. These songs will be performed by a band of fellow composers and performers and will showcase George's fascination with the relationship between lo-fi sound and 'outsider' music.

For Julian, composing is a way to communicate perspectives on matters such as nature, non-western philosophies or mythical phenomena. It’s also a way to communicate internal matters such as his Surinamese roots, navigating through a western society and to communicate the dialogues with his inner self. With this he wants to express the emotional complexity he carries, to give senses of dualism and awareness of oneself and one's environment.

About Retracing Steps
Retracing Steps is a deep dive into Julian’s ancestral lineages. Through his research about Mandinka culture, its music, and West African history with the kora as the main subject, he came a step closer to whom his ancestors might have encountered. To celebrate this journey, he teams up with his good friends Ranie Ribeiro on Harp and Ngoni and Milton Voyance on Percussion. They all share a similar history of being from the diaspora and aim to let their ancestors talk through their instruments.

About Process of Becoming
For Process of Becoming the main sources of inspiration were Julian's experiences in both primary and secondary forests. In the primary forest of Surinam, he experienced a deep sense of freedom. Everything was seized by the forces of nature, everything was structured by nature. On the other side, being in a secondary forest in the Netherlands, Julian experienced a clear sense of man-made structure. However, in both forests, he experienced a sense of introspection. A deep feeling of belonging. When Julian becomes aware of his environment, he senses nature’s expression, which enhances his process of becoming. The duality of nature’s natural structure and man-made structures serve as the main form in this piece. While the duality of introspective and expressive gestures is reflected throughout the whole piece.

The Lisa Weyrauther Trio is a continuous project by German composer and pianist Lisa Weyrauther in which she brings her diverse musical inspirations into a lively jazz setting. She is joined in this adventure by the multifaceted musicians Ignacio Pintó, bass, and Alejandro Martin Puchau, drums. Unified by their shared passion for imaginative music, the trio creates a unique sound that explores far beyond the classical jazz idiom. Captivating grooves, bold and playful melodies, mesmerising atmospheres and meticulous attention to sound colour characterise the trio’s musical language.