Antoine Chessex

Swiss Experimental Composer and Saxophonist

Born in Vevey in 1980, Antoine Chessex is a composer and sound artist whose works assume a wide diversity of forms spanning compositions for ensembles, solo performances, sound installations and transdisciplinary projects. His compositions are characterized by textural density and microtonal tensions often resulting in sound masses addressing the physical dimensions of sounds and spaces. Recent chamber music commissions include DUST for three violins and electronics, Chute for the Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, Schichten & Ritournelle Fulgurante for the oh ton Ensemble, Metakatharsis for the Phoenix Ensemble, Furia for the Ensemble Werktag in Zürich and Plastic Concrete for the Apartment House in London. The works of Antoine Chessex have over the years crossed the boundaries between noise, modern composition, improvisation and electronic music. His background as a saxophone player saw him performing extensively in different experimental music contexts during the past decades.