Residency #1: Porto | May 18-24 2026 | Coordinated by Sonoscopia
Having a privileged and strategic position between the river and the sea, Porto is an historical town known as an industrial and trading center. In the past 20 years, however, tourism has become the main economical driving force, producing radical social and cultural changes, specially in the historical areas that were completely taken by gentrification, and where a standardisation of touristic habits and behaviours is rapidly replacing the individual identities of the spaces.
Located in a more periferic working class area of the city, Sonoscopia has been highly aware of these changes. Since our establishment in this area five years ago, more than 10 new apartment blocks emerged, and a new complex of nearly 250 apartments is being built just next to our house. There is a daily pressure that has been pushing its inhabitants towards more distant areas from the center, making the daily life of each citizen more individualistic and less based on communal cooperation and a sense of belonging and sharing.
With this residency we will continue the work developed in the first year of the Access Residency, focusing on how a collaborative creative effort can be used to increase a sense of community in order to provide better communication, understanding and caring between people that inhabit the same space, independently of their origins, age and functions in society.
During the residency days, we will develop small individual actions with each of the participant artists in several local shops and public spaces in the street and the surroundings where Sonoscopia is located, and at the end of the residency a final public performance will take place, passing through different spots and parts of our neighbourhood and ending at Sonoscopia. We will finish the residency with a communal meal, free to all the local community of the street but also to everyone that will come to listen to the music created collectively during the residency.
Public presentations:
From Wednesday (May 20th) to Friday (May 22nd) | 14:30
Individual actions in local shops on Rua de Silva Porto
Saturday 23rd of May | 18:00
Short performances in public surrounding spaces
Saturday 23rd of May | 19:00
Final group performance at Sonoscopia
Saturday 23rd of May | 19:30
Dinner
Discover the artistisc team:
Ridina Ahmedová is a established figure on the Czech music scene.
She currently performs solo and also in a duo with Petr Tichý as Hlaskontrabas Duo (nominated for the Anděl Award in 2016) and Hlaskontrabas Oktet (winner of the Czech Radio poll of music critics for best jazz album Česká jazzová sklizeň, nominated for the Anděl Award in 2024) – www.hlaskontrabas.cz
She is the author and co-author of music for a number of dance and movement performances and has contributed to the music for several films. She founded and runs Hlasohled, a center for he human voice (www.hlasohled.cz) . She also creates audio documentaries, which have won numerous awards (the series Odpustit? was nominated for best European audio documentary at the Prix Europa awards) – www.mujrozhlas.cz/odpustit
She collaborates on a number of theater and interdisciplinary projects and has performed at many festivals in clubs in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Projects and collaborations – selection:
Page blanche – dance performance by Ladji Kone (Burkina Faso), music and sound design Ridina Ahmedová (Czech republic) choreography by Jerome Andrieu (France), stage design Michaela Solnická (Czech republic) – premiere in May 2025, Rencontres choreographiques, Paris-HLASkontraBAS octet project 2024 – release of the album Kaleidoscapes, nominations mentionned above.
audio documentary series Odpustit? (Forgive?), shortlisted for the Prix Europa European awards, and awarded as the Discovery of the Year – Podcast of the Year, shortlisted for the Prix Bohemia Radio award
Rekni mi (tell me) – a capella performance – we are the sound mirror of night dreams and rememberings of the listeners. www.rekni-mi.cz
Audio documentary podcast Sádlo (Fat) – about life in a body that does not correspond to the expectations of those around you, 6 episodes, premiere in January 2021 on ČRO (over 300,000 downloads) – 2nd prize at Bohemia Prix Radio, Františka Plamínková award
Solo performance “Sádlo – a performance for one woman and many opinions from those around her,” created in collaboration with Tantehorse, premiere in December 2020, Palác Akropolis – nominated or the Česká divadelní DNA awards
Musical collaboration on the Post Bellum Paměť jsme my (Memory is Us) project, 2020, 2023 and 2025
creation of music and sound design for an international dance project produced by fest. Tanec Praha Eymen – Point of view (Czech Republic/Ghana) – premiere in June 2019
member of the duo HLASkontraBAS together with double bassist Petr Tichý – www.hlaskontrabas.cz
Founder and leader of the Hlasohled project – a center for working with the human voice (www.hlasohled.cz)
Released her solo album Hlasem (2006), collaborated on a number of other music projects (Floex, Monika Načeva, Vladimir 518, and others)
Guest at Bobby McFerrin‘s concert in Prague, with whom she sang a duet
Collaboration with Matěj Kroupa on music for a number of theater performances (Dejvické divadlo) and on music for the 2017 Memory of the Nation Awards project
Collaboration with J. P. Muchow on the music for the film Pusinky, directed by Karin Babinská
Collaboration with Vladimír Merta on the music for the film Famfárum IICollaboration on a number of theater projects by the Continuo Theater […]
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Born in South Korea, composer and ondist Imsu Choi studied at Ewha University (Seoul) where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in composition. She continued her studies in France and entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris(CNSMDP) in composition, écriture and ondes Martenot. For 2023-2024, she participated in the IRCAM Cursus program.
She has been the recipient of prizes from the Fondation de France (Prix Monique Gabus, Prix Marthe Depelsenaire), the Legs Edmond Jabès, the Mécénat Musical Société Générale, Prix de composition de l’Académie Ravel, 3rd Ise-Shima International Composition Competition and the Nadia and Lili Boulanger International Center. Imsu Choi teaches electronic piano and ondes Martenot at the Conservatoire Iannis Xenakis.
Her music has been commissioned and created by several ensembles and orchestras, including the Ensemble Intercontemporain (dir. Léo Margue, Simon Proust), Orchestre de Picardie (dir. Arie van Beek), Divertimento Ensemble (dir. Sandro Gorli, dir. Viktoriia Vitrenko), International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Trio Catch, Trio Abstrakt, Ensemble Court-Circuit, Klangforum Wien, Quartetto Maurice, Ensemble Next, Ensemble Ecoute, Ensemble TM+ (Dir. Laurent Cuniot).
Her works have been performed at festivals such as Festival Présence (France), Festival Archipel (Switzerland), Tongyeong International Music Festival (South Korea), Festival Sonomundo (France), Festival Ensemble/s/ (France), Festival Ravel (France), Festival Singer-Polignac (France) and Bludenzer tage zeitgemäßer musik (Austria).
Also active as a ondes Martenot player, she presented ondes Martenot at the Musée de la musique de Paris of Philharmonie de Paris during the European Night of Museums 2022. She also played at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris; at the Théâtre de Chaillot and Cathedral in Bern. She also played Trois petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine by Olivier Messiaen as a solo ondist with the CNSMDP Orchestra at Saint-Eustache Church in Paris, conducted by Léo Warynski. In 2024, she had her debut of Turangalila Symphonie d’Olivier Messiaen at Royal Festival Hall in London with pianist Thomas Kelly and Royal College of Music Orchestra under maestro Jac van Steen.
In 2025, her new scores were premiered notably at the Festival Présence at the Maison de la Radio during the opening concert by Ensemble NEXT. She participated in the composition residency of the Académie du Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. At the Ravel Festival, Reflets for viola and cello was created and it will also be published by Éditions Durand-Salabert-Eschig. Trio Abstrakt performed Chroma in Köln, Wiesbaden and Paris. SWR Symphonieorchester premiered her new orchestral piece Miro at the Donaueschinger Musiktage 2025 during the opening concert under the direction of François-Xavier Roth.
Imsu Choi is an artist-in-residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac since 2024. […]
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Xuân Mai DANG-LOMBARDI cut her teeth at the conservatory (CRR of Lille), in CHAM classes (music/studies), from a very young age. After receiving solid classical training in piano and baroque recorder, she also earned a D.U.M.I. (University Diploma for Musicians in Education).
In 2007, her encounter with composer Alain Savouret, then professor and founder of the free improvisation class at the CNSMDP, proved fundamental to her work in composition, invention, and “phonoculture.” From the conservatory she retained only the hard iron box in which she felt confined—so as to deform it, open it, and escape from it. What remains today in her musical craft is only the quintessence of raw sonic material. In 2008, she naturally collaborated with Alain Savouret on a commission from the French State and the IMEB (Vie-Vent; fable haut parlante, premiered in 2009 at the Synthèse Festival), followed by many shared projects up to the present day.
After cutting kilometers of magnetic tape for radio (Audioblogs, Arte Radio, Radio Libertaire, etc.) and composing several theme tunes, Xuân Mai worked as an electroacoustic composer at ART ZOYD Studios, collaborating with Gérard Hourbette and André Serre-Millan (Hôtel Électrique, Voyage dans la Lune, 44 1/2, etc.). She then created sound installations with visual artist Charlotte Lanselle and sculptor Alessio Oru. With artistic cross-disciplinarity at the heart of her projects, she has also taken part in numerous creative residencies with puppeteers, circus artists, actors, and dancers (Collectif 23h50, Cirque du Bout du Monde, Compagnie ActArts, etc.).
As a vocalist, she was a member of Phil Minton’s Feral Choir, then of the female vocal ensemble VOYelles directed by Adélaïde Stroesser, where she met Meredith Monk. Each year she is invited as a chorister for large-scale baroque concerts (“Grands formats,” Un Autre Souffle association), during which she collaborates with conductors passionate about early music (Nicolas Bucher, Freddy Eichelberger, Blaise Plumettaz, etc.).
As a hybrid and experimental musician (voice, objects, traditional instruments, electronics), she has worked with Claude Colpaert and Frédéric Loisel (Trio Tzara), Michael Pisaro-Liu (Radiolarians), Christian Pruvost (Flumunda), Ingrid Laubrock, the ARFI collective, Jean-Philippe Harchin, Tayeb Benamara, Raphaëlle Prost, Alaric Chagnard, among others. She is currently active in the Muzzix collective, Compagnie ActArts, and Compagnie Théâtre dans les Nuages.
The omnipresence of musical theater in her inventions stems from her practice of Kabuki, which encompasses song (歌 ka), dance (舞 bu), and technical virtuosity (伎 ki). “Each of my improvisations is inspired by the context in which I am called upon to play.” Her inventions are site-specific, built in space with architectural rigor and the sensitivity of a sad clown. She continues to delve into silence and mime, perhaps one day to break through the sound barrier. […]
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Aina Font is a Valencian saxophonist currently based in Amsterdam and Berlin and she is the Portrait Artist 25’ hellerau by VAN MUSIC MAGAZINE. She is also Selmer Artists and Vandoren Paris ambassador.
She specialized in innovative approaches for classical music, contemporary music and music for an inclusive society.
As a soloist with an international presence, she has performed solo with orchestras at some of the world’s leading concert halls, including the renowned Berliner Philharmonie.
This season Aina celebrates a milestone in her artistic journey, she will debut as a soloist at the iconic Palau de la Música Catalana after bringing her music to audiences across Thailand.
Throughout her musical career, she has captivated with her musicality juries of important venues such as Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, BBC Artists, Jeunesse Vienna, Muziekgebouw, BIMHUIS…
“Aina Font really impressed with her nuanced and well thought-out interpretation (…)
With her joy of playing and her strong stage presence, she creates a direct connection with the audience with ease.”
Johannes Schultz – Konzerthaus Berlin
“Aina is a versatile artist with a strong vision and a warm heart, creating unique and touching musical moments.”
Hanni Liang – pianist lecturer at Univ of Music and Theatre Munich and Bbc artist.
“Creative, fresh and so authentic!“
William Coleman – Jury Tokyo Viola competition, jury Geneva Competition, teacher at Univ Mozarteum Salzburg
Aina is the artist in residence spring 2025 at HELLERAU European Centre of Arts, showcasing her solo project throughout the festival next to Ensemble Intercontemporain Paris and Ensemble modern.
Aina is artist-in-residence since 2022 at Splendor Amsterdam with debut at the Royal Theatre Carrée , she is also the saxophonist of the ensemble in residence at GAUDEAMUS23 one of the reference contemporary music festivals in the European scene, premiering pieces by awarded contemporary composers from Europe, Asia, USA…
Her musical career also extends to the pedagogical field, being invited as a guest teacher for bachelor and master students in renwoned international institutions, such as Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden, The Mahidol University Conservatory in Bangkok, Thailand, Princess Galyani Royal Institute of Music, Breitner Academy (University Pedagogy in the Arts in the Netherlands ), or the Conservatorio Superior Nacional de Música de Puerto Rico.
STUDIES
Aina graduated her master studies in classical saxophone at Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Arno Bornkamp and Willem Van Merwijk. After her graduation she studied post-master in Karnatic Rhythms, specializing in methods to understand and work with complex rhythmical precision.
She also pursued chamber music in Berlin with Artemis Quartet, one of the referent string quartets of this century, leaded by
Vineta Sareika (Concertmaster of the Berliner Philarmoniker).
Previously, she studied her Bachelor Degree with saxophonists Mariano García (CSMA-ESMUC) and Ignacio Gascón (ESMUC) also broadening her horizons attending masterclasses with saxophonists from all over the world including the Universitée Europeéne du Saxophone.
PRIZES & ACTIVITYShe is a multi-award winner artist, highlighting:
Winner of the artist prize in the prestigious Berlin Prize For Young Artists 2024 , Klaus Thimm award 2025 for upcoming relevant artists in the German Music scene, Keep an eye Project award 2024 NL, “Jeunes Talents Atist France 2023” with Duo Nim, Semifinalist in Andorra Sax Fest 2019.
She is the current tenor player of Synthèse Quartet. A saxophone quartet based in Berlin that holds more than 25 national and international awards. She is also part of Duo Nim (saxophone and cello), Moving Strings, and Font-Tegnander ensemble (sound art).
Aina collaborates with NBE (Netherlands Blazers Ensemble) and several Dutch Orchestras: upcoming tour NNO Second Love – Nederlandse Resi opera.
She has performed orchestral solos and chamber music in renowned concert halls and festivals such as: Concertgebouw, Berliner Philarmonie, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Tivoli Vredenburg,Royal Theater Carrée, Muziekgebouw Eidhoven, Musée des Archives Nationales Paris, Auditorium de Versailles, Sala Mozart, Festival Klassiek op Het Amstelviend, Amphion Theater, Abbaye Aux Dames, ADDA ,Hanzehof Theater, Aarhus Musikhuset Denmark, Grachten Festival, Oranje Woud Festival, Wonderfeel. […]
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Lucija Gregov is a cellist and improviser based in Rotterdam, NL. She has been developing projects and researching in the fields of classical music, electro acoustic music, improvisation, experimental music, radio and sound art.
Through many interdisciplinary collaborations, Lucija seeks to push the boundaries of traditional cello playing which further extend her interpretation, technique and ideas. Her cello practice is a starting point of the sonic exploration through which over time she disintegrated traditional techniques in order to discover a more personal and sincere sound aesthetic.
Lucija uses a visceral approach to improvisation as a way to propose a distinctive way of creating and performing. She found improvisation to be a significant tool in enabling emergence of practice and sound materials that are open-ended and continuously transformative.In various collaborations, Lucija has further explored sound through practice of deep listening and environmental sounding to better understand the social power of sound and extended recognition of its sources. Her numerous collaborations include working with visual artists, sound installation designers, dance companies, film directors and composers.
In her work as a programmer of music events, Lucija has curated sound based events for music label Futura Resistenza and venues such as Roodkapje and Worm in Rotterdam, NL.Lucija has performed as a soloist and as a member of different group formations in festivals and venues such as Moers Festival (Moers), Conflux Festival (Rotterdam), NSRT Festival (Rotterdam), Into The Great Wide Open Festival (Vlieland), Explore The North Festival (Leeuwarden), Gaudeamus Festival (Utrecht), Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), WORM (Rotterdam), Space Is The Place (Amsterdam), Les Atelier Claus (Brussels), Bimhuis (Amsterdam), iii (The Hague) and many more. […]
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Graduated from Escola Superior Artística do Porto , Augusto Lado is a Director, Editor, Motion Designer for videographic works within the areas of music, experimental, performative and multi-disciplinary visual arts, as well as institutional, commercial and documentary projects.
He collaborates recurrently with independent artists and art collectives, engaging through creative concepts, arching from experimental, live performances to music videos for National and European projects. […]
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Aya Masui, from Japan, is currently based in Vienna, Austria. She works across a broad spectrum of media, encompassing percussion, improvisation, composition, field recording, installation, art performance, and audiovisual works involving gesture and motion. While she built the foundation of her artistic path through continuous collaborations as solo percussionist and guest performer with international ensembles and orchestras, her current work focuses on bridging solo practice, collaborative creation, and experimental approaches.
Since autumn 2025, Aya has been conducting a doctoral artistic research project at the Artistic Research Center, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). […]
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