Tenso
"tenso is an Occitanian term that means "a verbal joust between two troubadours". It also expresses the tension that motivated me these past few years to federate today's greatest European vocal ensembles around a single project. The realm of vocal arts is still widely under estimated without any apparent reason, even though suffers from its own conservative contradictions. Being the major play in the development in world of the vocal arts, tenso favors the distrubtion of its works, contemporary creation and research" Laurence Equilbey
tenso is a European programme created in 2004 under the impulses of Laurence Equilbey, Daniel Reuss and Geoffroy Jourdain and with accentus and many other European choirs (Rias Kammerchor, Latvijas Radio Koris, Nederlands Kamerkoor). This vocal arts development programme partakes in the exploration of the cultral repertoire. It also favors the distribution of its vocal works throughout Europe and supports the creation of a new vocal repertoire. It's centred upon the help of active partnerships at the heart of the European network which comprised of several vocal ensembles, as well as institutes of research, learning centres, institutions of the performing arts and publishing professionals, and represents a new step in the work of renewal led by the major players in the vocal arts.
Composers and interpreters alike participate in these works, too, notably by accompanying the creation of new work and in the interactions between the vocal transcriptions and the use of new technologies.
Tenso creates a strong dynamic around the vocal arts in Europe thanks to the openness of the entire musical community and through an active political mediation (web site, networking of resources, "Meet the Artists" days, concerts, workshops, publishings, etc.)
Once a year, accentus and other great European vocal ensembles offer new creations and works to the general public during the tenso days. Riga and Berlin will be the hosts of tenso days in 2008.