Paris born Music producer and composer Quentin Sirjacq eclectic musical interests keep him active as an improviser, a new music performer, and a composer of incidental music for film and dance. He is best known for his work with Joëlle Léandre on “Out of Nowhere” released via Ambiances Magnétiques.
He has played in a number of groups, including Codex and Elastic Trio and has worked with the big band Tetzépi (Jasper Blom), Collison Palace and the Royal Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. He met Fred Frith in Amsterdam’s avant-garde music circuit and played with him several times, which lead to his enrollment at Mills College, CA to study composition. While at Mills, he has performed the music of F. Rzewski, J. Tenney and F. Frith, among others, and premiered a new work by José Maceda with virtuoso percussionist William Winant. This experience has allowed him to expand his relationship with the piano and his approach of music between traditions and experimentation.
See our exclusive interview with the talented musical mind below
Describe your sound for us. What do you want people to feel when they hear your music?
I would describe my sound like a piano sound. Very much connected to touch. The piano sound is touch and sustain pedal. I guess I developed my own piano sound over the years without real intention, it finally happened to be very legato and soft and with a lot of sustain…I want people to connect to themselves when they hear my music. Let their subconscious drive them emotionally. But let’s say that I want them to feel a “consolation” as we say in french.
Which 3 artists have influenced you the most growing up?
Schubert, John Coltrane and Keith Jarrett
How did you discover your particular sound?
By playing many many hours…I just crafted my sound over the years, again it is not so intentional, my sound just happened to be so….like it or not, it is just me.
What are the most important pieces of equipment to you?
Piano and computer…Old gear and new gear. Add the recording equipment and I am settled!
What outside of music inspires you to create?
Literature and philosophy
Do you have a favourite memory of your career so far that you will take with you forever?
Playing with Meredith Monk in Paris Foundation Cartier.
If you could work with, or perform alongside any artist living or passed, who would it be?
Mark Rothko
Most artists say that if they weren’t artists they would be mailmen/women… what would you be?
Tennisman….to be far from reality!!
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
You can expect a new soundtrack for director Jean Pierre Améris, a new performance with author Nancy Huston and a new solo album.
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