In Wake The Dead, pianist Joanna Duda (PL) and hornist Morris Kliphuis (NL) create a musical world together, full of hypnotic, soft textures, restless ostinatos, all interwoven with the unique sound of Baroque instruments.

Duda and Kliphuis met for the first time at the Sound Out residency in Sokołowsko (PL), where they bonded over their love of free improvisation, obscure electronics, and a shared background in classical music. Wake the Dead grew out of this bond and they have developed the work in a series of residencies in Katowice (PL), Berlin (DE) and The Hague (NL).

The High Dive album is available now! Get your copy here.

What did you know as a kid, that you forgot when you grew up? Can you go back to this childlike knowledge, or is it lost forever? Composer Morris Kliphuis, writer Lucky Fonz III, singer Pitou and collective s t a r g a z e dig through layers of civilization and intellectualism, searching for our hidden playfulness and imagination.

High Dive is a collaboration of creative forces Pitou and s t a r g a z e with composer Morris Kliphuis and the eclectic singer-songwriter Lucky Fonz III. A colourful and psychedelic interplay between voice, ensemble and eyes that consider everything they see as new and exciting.

Berlin-based, Dutch composer/instrumentalist Morris Kliphuis (born 1986) is a singular talent, whose work is as impressive as it is difficult to pigeonhole. 

In recent years, he has been busy writing for ensembles, soloists and vocalists – often from classical backgrounds – all of whom are equally committed to blurring genres in search of something truly new. 

A virtuoso on the French horn, an instrument strongly associated with classical orchestral music, Kliphuis is one of the few players in the world dedicated to exploring its potential in improvised, experimental and cross-genre settings. “I have a strong interest in expanding the range of possibilities of the horn,” he says.

Kliphuis rose to fame as founder member of the award-winning trio Kapok, which mixed elements of punk, rock and free improvisation. Now, as a solo artist, Kliphuis is taking the French horn in even more unexpected directions, using electronics, effects pedals and extended instrumental techniques.

compositions

2021

Arakatak for the Metropole Orkest (10’)
Commissioned by the MO on the occasion of their 75th anniversary.

Dark Ecology for two harps and dance (25’)
Written for Liminale (Liesbeth Vreeburg & Idske Bakker) and dancer Miri Lee. Premiered at the Dutch Harp Festival 2021.

Sawtooth for cello solo with live electronics (8’)
Commissioned by and developed together with cellist Alistair Sung.

Car Chase Music for violin and piano (4’)
Competition piece commissioned by the Netherlands Violin Competition for their 2022 edition, for violinists aged 13-14.

2020

High Dive, song cycle for voice and chamber ensemble (60’)
Lyrics by Lucky Fonz III, performed by Pitou and s t a r g a z e. Commissioned by November Music.

A Place To Stand for string quartet, bass and drums (10’)
Commissioned by and developed together with FUSE for their project Mikrokosmos

2019

Speech Is Mine for voice, clarinet, saxophone and percussion (6’)
Commissioned by Ensemble VONK

Pixelated Paradise for big band (9’)
Commissioned by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. Première at the Bimhuis Amsterdam.

2017

Dimlicht for band (saxophone, horn, piano, synthesizers, bass guitar, drums) (75’)
North Sea Jazz Festival Composition assignment 2017, with tour through NL.

The Secret Diary Of Nora Plain, song cycle for soprano, string quartet and percussion (65’). For Nora Fischer, the Ragazze Quartet and Remco Menting, lyrics by Lucky Fonz III

A Wine Flows Within Me, for voice and piano (9’)
For Nora Fischer and Daniel Kool, commissioned by the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) and the Royal Concertgebouw, premiered in Philharmonie Köln.