RESIDENT BLOGT:
Francesca Fantini is a saxophonist, improviser and artistic researcher whose work moves smoothly between classical music, contemporary repertoire and free improvisation. Her artistic practice explores physicality, listening and non-idiomatic improvisation, often within transdisciplinary and experimental contexts.Dear reader,
Today I started composing for the night of the 27th. You should definitely come and support me. It’s the first time I’m trying to combine all of my current music-related activities into one evening.
It’s beautiful to see how the creative process unfolds and takes on a life of its own. The fact that I’m only starting to write down concrete ideas today doesn’t mean this is the first time I’ve reflected on it. I spend a lot of time thinking about it, imagining it, and picturing it in my head beforehand.
It’s a wonderful exercise in creativity and imagination. In your head, everything becomes possible — which comes with its pros and cons.
When I start to feel nervous and my head can no longer focus, I know it’s time to write. And when I write, choices come along. What felt completely clear and sounded perfect in my mind reveals itself to be a bit less simple than I thought.
Authenticity is the most difficult thing to aim for and to achieve. When you want to create a new world — even a small one, even just for one hour outside of reality — you need to be convincing so that everyone can step into it and join you.
It is about consistency, not much in the choices of sounds and language, but much more into the proccess and models you choose to follow and implement. Authenticity gives the work soul.
Coherence brings trust along. How much do we miss coherence nowadays? We have lost our trust. We are left with hope.
And that’s why we need to be honest.
Will it be true? Well, if art likes to bring you away from reality, it won’t be true. But it could become if we embody it and enactivate in our realities. Art as a way of living. Why not?
I must thank
Mario Calzada
Prof. Leonella Caprioli
Dear reader,
I am sorry for my absence.
Nearly two months.
In these months, a lot has happened. Winter turned into spring, and my ideas and process embodied that shift. I had planted different seeds, so I could patiently wait to see what the season would bring.
In February’s concert, I decided to take the (my) biggest risk: playing my first 30-minute solo. That is the seed I planted. In the previous post, you saw diverse ideas. None of them have blossomed yet, but they set the ground for Bodies of Sounds, Bodies of Thoughts.
Nearly two months.
Sorry for my absence.
But in these months, a lot has happened.
In February 2026, I imagined what my life would be like if war came to this part of the world, a place that built its history upon it. I realized I did not need much imagination. We have seen it all.
Swiping in indifference, we have seen it all: slaughters, bombings, amputees, famine, desperation. We have seen it all in between puffy cat reels. We have witnessed, and realized we could not do anything.
This brought me to write, to resist, and to take the only action I could: to live my body and my freedom, aware of the privilege of having them.
That is how Bodies of Sounds, Bodies of Thoughts was conceived and shaped, between words and sounds. I could not say anything. At the same time, I could not do anything concrete to stop the madness of war and slaughter.
So I did what I could, with the awareness of my privilege, hoping that this, too, will become a normality again: to exercise freedom and return to our bodies.
The poem follows. You can read it when you like. You can text me if you have felt the need and relief of connecting: francesca.fantini.music@gmail.com
From april 28th at 4 o’clock p.m. the video of the live concert of that night will be available .
08.05.2026: recorded my solo album in Cologne. (Must thanks my dear friend and colleague Ethan Blackburn, who came along to assist me in the process with his invaluable listening and musical skills. Grazie Ethan!).
09.05.2026: played a concert in Liege with some European Music Collective people! Anton Lambert on double bass, Arto van Roey on guitar, Ethan Blackburn on piano, Ghazal Faghihi on clarinet. <3 <3 <3
10.05.2026: resting and listening to music.
Playing music is a social activity: you do it with people (even when you play alone, since you would like to count on listeners and good ears!), and you do it for people.
Eventually you meet people and you talk. I love talking to strangers, you will always learn something.
Yesterday I played a concert with emc at Cercle du Laveau in Liege. We were programmed together with a trio from Basel: Christian Moser (ud), Eva-Maria Karbacher (soprano sax), Alfred Zimmerlin (cello) and Christoph Albertijn / Erik Heestermans duo. Last improv night of the season! Not many people came, at all ahaha. I understand, it was a wonderful day and vitamin D recover is essential when you live in this area, can’t blame people for talking are of it :P. But still, it felt good. Who was there listened with such an open heart and ears! Thanks!
To go back to the theme of talking to strangers: I have spent quite some time talking with Eva, Christian (who I actually met at Siena Jazz Symposium in July 2025) and Alfred. Lovely shares about free improv scenes and touring experiences. And then, when I was sharing some tips for further venues in NL, the human network sparked and Alfred came up with Paul Panhhuysen, a Dutch experimental sound and round artist who was really active between the 70s-80s and more.
Fastly looking up on google I have discovered he was born in MAASTRICHT!!!! He left it quite soon but he did study in here (Jan Van Eyck Academy).
And yes, without just being human and talkative I would have never got to know this! And it comes in such a perfect moment of my artistic path at Intro (I am preparing for Dag van de Componist and I want to do something reasoned and senseful about deep listening and public involvment).
For now just wanted to share my excitement! And here what I have been listening to:
Always be curious, and talk, talk, talk! Share, share, share! Real words, real stories!