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About
Modelo62
Modelo62 is an ensemble that focuses on the performance of contemporary music, with a strong interdisciplinary component.
Next to performing existing contemporary repertoire, the driving ambition of Modelo62 is to create tailor-made works for the group in collaboration with young as well as established composers and makers from a variety of disciplines.
Modelo62 functions as a laboratory for new artistic experiments. As such, Modelo62 considers itself a musical ensemble but also a production house that dedicates time and resources to develop new projects. Modelo62’s vision is to reach new audiences with contemporary music and to offer them a transformative experience. Over 20 years of existence Modelo62 has brought more than 100 new works to the stage.
“They are talented musicians from all over the world, who, in their unconventional setting, adventurously tackle the multiplicity of contemporary music...”
Joep Stapel NRC
An ever evolving collective
Modelo62 has developed a strong experimental identity in which questioning the traditional concert rituals has become a trademark of the ensemble. The international diversity of its members makes it a multifaceted and versatile collective.
The ensemble is in constant change too: although it has a core team of musicians, the shape of the ensemble is not fixed. Modelo62 is a collective that is always inviting new members to collaborate, a flexible form that allows it to explore new ways of making music together, while broadening the ensemble’s vocabulary.
“[Music is] like a tree that opens its branches, to the right, to the left, upwards, downwards, allowing all styles, offering all possibilities”
Julio Cortázar
The name of the ensemble was inspired by the novel ’62 Modelo para armar’ by Argentinean writer Julio Cortázar. One of the greatest Spanish-language authors of the 20th century, he is especially remembered for his mastery of language and storytelling, always on the edge between the fantastic and the real. ’62 Modelo para armar’ (62: A model kit) (1968), is one of Cortázar’s most experimental works where the author creates a game in which the reader plays an active role and shapes the story.
In the novel, the characters operate as individuals, and also work together towards a common goal. And that is what inspired the name of the ensemble: as a group of skilled specialists we work as a team, learning from each others, challenging each others, including our public sometimes into our creative process. The common goal being to get to that beautiful edge between reality and the fantastic experiences that music, as literature, can take us to.
Members
EZEQUIEL MENALLED
Founder
Musical director
(Argentina) is a composer, conductor and teacher. He founded the Dutch Ensemble Modelo62 in 2003 and has been its musical and artistic director since.
“I love to have to learn all over again with every new project or piece. And at the same I can notice the accumulated experience through the years.”
JAN WILLEM TROOST
Fundraiser
Cello
(Nederland) is a cellist, performer, teacher and fundraiser. In his own words:
“What I like the most about Modelo62 is the energy that we have when we are on stage. It is a combination of excitement, connection, and focus. We all believe very much in what we do, and we love it. This is the best vibe you can have as a group, and it feels great to be part of that.”
VASILIS STEFANOPOULOS
Finances, administration and logistics
Double Bass
(Greece) is a double bass player and producer. He started playing double bass with Modelo62 in 2009 and some years later he became part of the production team.
“For me, a word that defines the ensemble is “family”. Over all these years, that word has kept its meaning for me.”
GEMMA TRIPIANA MUÑOZ
Flute
(Spain) is the flute player of the ensemble. She has been playing with Modelo62 since 2012.
“Modelo62 has caused me to grow as a musician. It has opened my mind and broadened my vision as an artist. I keep playing with Modelo62 because I enjoy it, it’s part of me, and it never ceases to amaze me. In each project we create a community between the musicians, conductor, composers and audience.”
KLÁRA VAN DE KETTERIJ
Percussion
(Czech Republic) Klara has been playing with the ensemble since 2013.
“I like the diversity and wide spectrum of Modelo62’s art. As a performer I love the challenge which is coming with new projects and expanding my own boundaries.”
SANTIAGO LASCURAIN
Guitar
(Mexico) Santiago has been playing with the ensemble since 2009. He was also the communication and publicity manager of Modelo62 from 2013 to 2020.
“Making music together with Modelo62, to be part of a bigger whole where the sound result is something I could never make on my own, has always been incredibly nurturing for me. It continues to make me grow as a musician and an artist. “
ELLIOT SIMPSON
Guitar
(USA) His first project with the Modelo62 was for the UK tour in 2010.
“I continue working with the group because every member of the ensemble is talented in some unique way, totally dedicated to the success of every project, and a lot of fun to be around.”
REINIER VAN HOUDT
Piano
(The Netherlands) Pianist and sound maker. He started working with the ensemble in 2015.
“Modelo62 is first of all a fantastic group of friends that like to dive deep into doing new things without prejudices. The keyword is TRUST. Everybody trusts each other to find their own way and not have judgments about each other’s way.”
TEODORA STEPANČIĆ
Piano
(Serbia) The first pianist to play with the ensemble, she based herself in New-York in 2015 and continues to participate with the ensemble projects from time to time.
“With Modelo62 every project is a special experience. It is a group of friends, a family and an experimental music ensemble. I love our rehearsals and the time we spend working together on music, learning and practicing. And also laughing and having fun together! Every concert with Modelo62 is memorable.”
ENRIC SANS I MORERA
Clarinet
(Spain) Enric has been playing with Modelo62 since 2010.
“What I like (most) about Modelo62 is that we always achieve what we set out to do. The best thing about the ensemble is the good vibes we create working together. Encouraging is a word that defines the group. I have always found confidence in what we like to do!”
JUSTIN CHRISTENSEN
Trumpet
(Canada) Justin joined the ensemble from its second concert: almost from the beginning.
“I feel that there is a sense of trust and community that leads us to want to stretch a little further, to reach a little higher. As I have played with some of my colleagues here since the (nearly) very beginning, I know I can rely on them even if they surprise me in new and wonderful ways each time.”
JORGE LÓPEZ GARCÍA
Clarinet
(Spain) Jorge is one of the initial members of the ensemble.
“Playing with Modelo62 is a great experience all the time. We share the eagerness to build up the music, to try to translate the creative ideas of the composers into sounds and the will to experience and be part of the entire process. I feel really lucky sharing these moments with such a different group of people that, despite and because of the variety of our interests and characteristics, we all try to help each other to get the best musically and personally.”
CÈLIA TORRES RUIZ
Cello
(Spain) Celia started playing with the ensemble in 2014.
“Modelo62 is a mix of challenge and freedom, experimentation and precision. I love the atmosphere of the ensemble, it is fun and there is affection and respect between the members. A word that defines the ensemble for me is: Sincerity because we communicate in a sincere way during the whole musical process: in the rehearsals and also with the audience.”
RUBÉN CASTILLO DEL POZO
Percussion
(Spain) Rubin started playing with the ensemble in 2016 within a project based on ¨The cabinet of Dr.Caligari.¨
“I like to play in Modelo62 because it just feels right. You feel your input is valuable, what else could you ask for? It’s an ensemble that is always challenging itself, that is very appealing for a musician. Modelo62 is a compendium of miscellaneous backgrounds and interests merged to make a great artistic output, that is gorgeous in my opinion! Resilience and assertiveness, not judgment and trust in each other’s artistry in the process.”
REBECCA HUBBER
Violin
(USA)
“I do know that I like the atmosphere of the group, the people and the experimental nature of the group. A word that defines the ensemble for me is uninhibited.”
CHLOË ABBOTT
Trumpet
(England) Chloë joined the ensemble in 2018.
ROBERTO RUTKAUSKAS
Violin
(Argentina) Joined the ensemble in 2015.
“Modelo62 has a creative element that mutates from aesthetic to aesthetic. But it has a definite color that makes it attractive as a place of experimentation, creativity and quasi-creation. Modelo62 is a place that combines different personalities that coincidentally pass by and eventually create something together. As a whole, but not tied.”
