Send us a text A few days before ars ad hoc makes the Portuguese premiere of his String Quartet 2.5 ‘Playing with Seeds’ [2017] at the Serralves Museum, American composer George E. Lewis (Chicago, 1952) shares some thoughts about his fascination with the classic trope of depiction in American music. A professor in the Department of Music at Columbia University and Edwin H. Case Professor of American Music, George E. Lewis is also Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensem...

Send us a text As listeners will soon notice, Portuguese composer Luís Salgueiro (1993) moves with ease between philosophy and music — two territories that, in his work, often mirror one another. In this episode, we join him in a quiet exploration of how thought becomes sound and how language shapes what we hear, while listening to a few fleeting excerpts from his own music. Do we still have the courage to speak about music? credits: Parroting [2025], soundscape // Wolf Town [2020], for saxop...

Send us a text After the summer break, we return with composer Ludger Brümmer (Werne, 1958) as the guest of the first episode of the 2025/26 season. Like many composers, Brümmer cannot resist speaking about music — yet he does so in a uniquely compelling way. The former director of ZKM shares insights into his approach to sound: the role of structure and intuition, space as narrative and as a field for exploration, as well as the possibilities of physical modelling. In this episode, we are in...

Send us a text Among the many ways of categorising composers, one is to distinguish between those who like to follow the rules and those who have the impetus to question them. As far as we can tell from listening to his documentary “dumpsterdiving and food saving”, Alessandro Perini (1983) belongs to those who like to defy the rules. He is the author of the longest episode of this podcast, with which we end the season reflecting on a major problem of our time. vortextemporum.com

Send us a text A few days before the Portuguese premiere of Silvia Borzelli's (Rome, 1978) A Self-portrait (with Anatsui in the background) [2022], this Netherlands based Italian composer shares some insights on her own music, erosion, resistance and whatever comes before music. credits: stalagma (Anna Politkovskaja in memoriam) [2007], for piano | Emanuele Torquati > piano // zattere [2013], for piano and stereo soundtrack | Vittoria Quartararo > piano // hyper-image [2020, rev. 2023]...

Send us a text Right before the release of the album “City Walk”, in which Nuno Aroso and his ensemble (Clamat - colectivo variável) perform João Pedro Oliveira (Lisbon, 1959) percussion music, Portuguese composer based in Santa Barbara - California, tells us about the universe from which his music arises. Would it all be rock? credits: In the House of the Glass King [2021], concerto for marimba, vibrafone, percussion ensemble and fixed media electronics | Clamat – Colectivo Variá...

Send us a text One of Sivan Cohen Elias’ (Jerusalem, 1976) major interests must be sound puppetry. In Vortex Temporum episode number 39, this Israeli composer lets us listen to a conversation she has with her husband and collaborator, Rey Hulme, about this central matter of her own music. credits: How to Make a Monster [2021], for a performer with objects and live electronics | performance by Winnie Huang // Escape Room [2024], for trio percussion | ensemble Line Upon Line Percussion // Whist...

Send us a text In episode 38 of Vortex Temporum podcast, Sara Stevanović (Belgrade, 1998) reflects on Harry Lehmann's 'Ideologiemaschinen: Wie Cancel Culture funktioniert'. credits: search: pink fingers fragile archives [2024]. live performance by Ensemble Recherche at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik festival 2024. vortextemporum.com

Send us a text Swiss composer with roots in Trinidad and Tobago Jessie Cox (1995) reflects on what music can be beyond music. Isn’t it about existence after all ? credits: Invocation: Nebula, from When You're a Star [UT007] vortextemporum.com

Send us a text Riccardo Nova (Milan, 1960) gave us an interview to produce a Vortex Temporum podcast episode and he told us about his marvellous adventures as an innate traveller. Finally, the composer in him prevailed and he could not help but make us a beautiful piece of music. vortextemporum.com