#34 Manuela Villiger, 2023 Landis & Gyr Stiftung Residency
50 opportunities for 50 years
“Composing with different media requires countless hours of experimenting, tinkering, reading, programming, calculating, soldering and learning new techniques. A work that often comes too short in the project-oriented everyday life between rehearsals, performances, meetings and deadlines.”
Manuela Villiger is a Swiss saxophonist and composer based in Olten, Switzerland. Trained as a classical saxophone player, she now focuses mainly on the performance of contemporary music and the production of interdisciplinary performance projects. She is not limited to instrumental works, but is increasingly involved in performative and installative works incorporating multimedia.
Manuela is one of ten recipients of the Landis & Gyr studio scholarships in London. The Landis & Gyr foundation awards studio scholarships to Swiss artists and cultural professionals in London, Budapest, Bucharest, Sofia and Zug.
Its London-based residency partnership with Acme was established in 1987 and provides three to six month long work/live opportunities for about ten Swiss artists per year.
“Since I'm still pretty early in my career, this residency is an incredible opportunity for me and I'm doing everything I can to make the most of it and benefit from it. It gives me the possibility to take a step back from my everyday life and to look more deeply into my work, my art, my ideas and my convictions.”
Manuela will spend her time in London composing two new pieces and experimenting with different audio software, as well as learning about the local music scene by attending a variety of concerts and performances.
“The studio is both perfectly equipped for concentrated work and located in a quiet and very inspiring environment. Especially the music room is perfect for hours of experimentation.”