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Garden of Silence 

Nine musicians, three continents, one goal: to create and share beauty in this world.

It all started with a dream. In 2009 the exceptional harpist, composer and singer Asita Hamidi (†2012) woke up with the irresistible sound of an indescribable ensemble in her ears. Together with Björn Meyer they set out to bring this sonic vision to life.

With each attempt to describe and analyse the sound, it became increasingly obvious that it was not primarily a matter of which instruments are at play, but more a matter of specific musicians adding their unique personal voices to the blend.

For several years, Asita and Björn traveled regularly to Iran, Egypt and Sweden and met with master musicians in order to perfect the sound and develop a special kind of music that would bring together influences from the participants supposedly disparate cultural backgrounds into a unique sonic experience. Music that resonates and comes to life with extraordinary voices, bass mandola, violin, cello, percussion and traditional instruments like the Armenian duduk and the Swedish nyckelharpa.

This continuous exchange also resulted in deep personal friendships, which are as much a part of the repertoire as is the composed material. Music as a universal language, an unforgettable listening experience - intense and dynamic.

Garden of Silence was to become Asita’s last project. Just before the planned premiere in 2012 Asita left this world. A year later - as a tribute - unforgettable concerts were held in Bern and Teheran.

Since then Björn Meyer has continuously added new influences to Garden of Silence and further developed the repertoire. In December 2022, ten years after the original date, the complete work could finally be premiered at three concerts in Switzerland. A new beginning allowing this remarkable music to be heard in its unique instrumentation.

The premiere met with extraordinary response and resulted in the immediate demand for a follow-up tour that took place with four concerts in Switzerland February 2024. The tour also allowed for recording the repertoire, and the Album is scheduled to be released in December 2024!

The Musicians

Björn Meyer (S,CH) Artistic director, Bass, Bass-Mandola

Emilia Amper (S) Nyckelharpa

Karin Streule (CH) Vocal

Veronika Stalder (CH) Vocal

Reza Asgarzadeh (Iran) Duduk

Kaspar Rast (CH) Drums,Percussion

Carlo Niederhauser (CH) Cello

Klaus Gesing (DE) Bassclarinet, Sopranosaxophone

Mohamed Samy (EGY) Violin

 

Addendum:

On January 25, 2024, our singer Bruno Amstad unexpectedly passed away. For over 25 years he was an integral part of our musical universe, with his voice, his sparkling creativity and his generous heart. He leaves behind a huge gap, both as a musician, as a human being and as a central part of Garden of Silence.

Despite our deep sadness, we have decided to carry on with Garden of Silence as a tribute and out of gratitude for our precious time together. Especially in these times, we want this music to be a source of hope for the world.

Bruno is irreplaceable. It was immediately clear to us that we had to find new sonic facets to translate the music. We are truly grateful that Karin Streule and Klaus Gesing can join us on this new path! Both are outstanding artists who, each in their own way, have a deep connection to Garden of Silence.