Sylvie Courvoisier

Swiss-born pianist and composer Sylvie Courvoisier is known for combining two different worlds: the deep, detailed chamber music of her European roots and the grooving sounds of New York City's downtown jazz scene, where she has made her home for more than two decades. Few artists feel comfortable playing improvised or composed music in both concert halls and jazz clubs. But Courvoisier - "a pianist who is equal parts bold and commanding," according to the New York Times - is as captivating when she performs Stravinsky's iconic Rite of Spring with flamenco dancer and choreographer Israel Galván and pianist Cory Smythe as she is when she improvises with her own widely acclaimed jazz trio, which also includes bassist Drew Gress and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Added to this are her ear-opening collaborations with avant-garde jazz greats such as John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, Ikue Mori, Ellery Eskelin, Susie Ibarra, Fred Frith, Andrew Cyrille, Mark Feldman, Ken Vandermark, Nate Wooley and Mary Halvorson. In music as in life, Courvoisier pushes boundaries with a creative spirit and free thinking; her music-making is as playful as it is intense, as tradition-conscious as it is exploratory and fearless. The JazzTimes wrote: "Courvoisier keeps you on the edge of your seat because you get the feeling that the piano can't contain her. Her rapid solos seem to overwhelm and flood the keyboard and overflow again and again."