TICKETS: https://www.ntry.at/elevatefestival2026/performances/26260?l=en

Steve Reich (*1936) is considered one of the most influential composers of our time and a central figure of musical minimalism. With his early tape pieces, phase-shifting techniques, and a radically new understanding of pulse, repetition, and process, he fundamentally transformed the listening experience of contemporary music from the 1960s onward. His work continues to resonate far beyond the new music scene—into electronic music, pop, jazz, and film music—making him one of the most enduringly influential sound artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Music for 18 Musicians (1976) is regarded as Reich’s seminal work and marks a turning point in his oeuvre. The approximately one-hour piece is based on a cycle of eleven harmonic “sections,” sustained by a continuous pulse that is perceived less as a strict meter and more as a form of energetic breathing. From intricately interlocking patterns emerge flowing, shimmering layers of sound that evolve organically through the smallest of changes—an exemplary realization of Reich’s concept of “process music.”

The extraordinary instrumentation—voices, pianos, marimbas, vibraphones, clarinets, strings, and percussion—forms a collective instrument in which individual lines merge into a transparent, warm, and at the same time hypnotic overall sound.

The performance is realized in cooperation with Institute 1, Institute 4, and Institute 7 of the Kunstuniversität Graz, as well as the master’s program Performance Practice in Contemporary Music (PPCM), which has made this project possible. Students of KUG will perform on stage. The musical direction is undertaken by Klangforum Wien, ensuring that the characteristic flow of sound, balance, and spatial breath of this music are carefully shaped.

Musicians

Violin – Szymon Kałużny

Cello – Mina Zakich

Clarinet 1 – Dacil Guerra Guzmàn

Clarinet 2 – Michele Fontana

Voice 1 – Burcu Melis Demiray

Voice 2 – Laure-Catherine Beyers

Voice 3 – Christine Rainer

Voice 4 – Ellen Rose Kelly

Piano 1 – Maria Iaiza

Piano 2 – Anna Ostojic

Piano 3 – Martin Lejtman

Piano 4 – Markus Koropp

Percussion 1 – Mario Rueda

Percussion 2 – Daichi Kutsuna

Percussion 3 – Sara Borisova Chakarova

Percussion 4 – Jacob Bauer

Percussion 5 – Mia Belak

Percussion 6 – Felix Karner

Percussion 7 – Simon Barath

Artistic Direction: Lukas Schiske, Andreas Nyqvist (Klangforum Wien), Andrey Doynikov (PPCM Vocal)