Into The Open

What can I expect?

An extraordinary evening that opens the Into the Open festival and breaks musical boundaries..!

❶ Cellist Julia Bilat takes you on a deeply moving journey with her solo improvisation Transfigured. Layer by layer, she explores vulnerability and renewal in an impressive ritual that casts the classical music tradition in a completely new light.

❷ Hugo van Rechem’s world premiere kollektive MAL(A)K(h)UT(h) – dream crafting ignites a fascinating dialogue: four singers from different musical traditions intertwine their voices with archival war samples, bridging the past and the present.

❸ The grand finale features Martynas Levickis, the celebrated accordion virtuoso and Opus Klassik winner, dazzling with arrangements of Vivaldi and Jenkins alongside his own compositions – an electrifying blend of Baroque and modern sounds.

An opening that resonates and inspires!

Program

❶ Opening Act (19:00h)

Julia Biłat - Transfigured (multidisciplinary cello performance)

The performer unravels from the depths of a cocoon, as if tangled in an umbilical cord—suffocating yet nurturing. The ritual of shedding layers explores vulnerable states within a rigid classical music tradition. The cellist Julia Biłat reemerges through sound in a large-scale solo cello improvisation, stating, ‘I am not here to play a cello recital; I am here to be present and give birth to the body of music‘.

❷ Concert (19:30-21:00h)

• Martynas Levickis: Rain

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Adagio (BWV 974)

• Philip Glass: Etude No. 6

• Franck Angelis: Impasse I

• Hugo van Rechem: kollektive MAL(A)K(h)UT(h) – dream crafting for vocal ensemble, piano & percussion (World premiere, commissioned by ITO)

• Karl Jenkins: Palladio, 1st Movement (Arrangement by Martynas Levickis)

• Martynas Levickis: Folk Song Suite

• Antonio Vivaldi: Excerpts from the Seasons

Artists

Part ❶

• Julia Biłat, cello

Part ❷

• Martynas Levickis, accordeon

• Mikroorkéstra, ensemble

• rabbit hole, vocal ensemble

• Yessaï Karapetian, multi instrumentalist

• Loup Godfroy, percussion

Venue

The Kühlhaus Berlin is an industrial monument located in the heart of Berlin in the immediate vicinity of Potsdamer Platz, right next to the Technical Museum Berlin. Built at the turn of the century in 1900, it is now a universal cultural centre that hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year, from readings and concerts to fashion fairs and food markets. The Kühlhaus, with its 6 floors and the Kubus in the middle, provides the ideal setting for our festival and a place where experimentation and reflection are virtually forced upon us. The Kubus makes a wide variety of event formats possible; the musicians can play from hidden galleries, position themselves in the middle like at a boxing match or perform over several floors.

About the festival

Into the Open (ITO) is the music festival of the new generation. From 28.01. - 02.02.2025 ITO presents the third edition of the festival in Berlin with an exciting programme. A total of 6 concerts with world-class artists such as Francesco Tristano, Opus Klassik prizewinner Martynas Levickis, International Ensemble Modern Academy or the Sokhumi State Drama Theatre will bring concert performances that broaden horizons.

Further information on the 2025 festival programme can be found here: Rituals 2025