The catinblack ensemble is a low string trio (viola, cello and contrabass) with musicians from different parts of the world who have developed a common sound and a strong connection with each other in a short time. They performed at the NOW! Festival 2021 and were selected for a concert with WDR live recording in the “WDR 3 Campus Concerts” series in the same year. In 2022 and 2023 they were selected by the Music Fund for the NEUSTARTKULTUR program “FEB-II and FEB-III - Funding for Ensembles and Bands”. catinblack's repertoire focuses on the music of our time for viola, cello and contrabass in solo, duo and trio settings. In 2023 they premiered a one hour long piece “being-sent” for “singing low string trio”, which the composer Jonah Haven wrote for them. In the same year they collaborated with composer Chaya Czernowin on her new work “Poetica” and recorded it at the renown IRCAM Institute in Paris. A particular concern of the ensemble is to experiment with new concert formats and concepts and to seek collaboration with contemporary artists in order to develop new sound worlds.
Sofia von Atzingen studied viola at the UFMG in Belo Horizonte/Brazil and at the University of Music Karlsruhe. Her enthusiasm for contemporary music led her to complete a Master's degree in New Music with Barbara Maurer at the Folkwang University of the Arts and a doctorate on the solo sonata for viola by B.A. Zimmermann at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). From 2016 to 2018 she taught as professor for viola at the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG) in Brazil and is currently a substitute teacher at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe in Germany. She is a founding member of the ensemble catinblack and has been a violist with Ensemble Recherche since 2022.
Ema Grčman is a versatile cellist based in Europe whose recent performances have focused on interdisciplinary collaborations with her chamber music ensembles Trio LYS, ensemble aurōrae and Quartensprung. She has studied with renowned cellists and pedagogues including Valter Dešpalj, Julian Arp, Torleif Thedeen and Thomas Demenga. Her festival appearances include the Stift Festival, Enescu Festival, Tartini Festival, Ljubljana Festival, Davos Festival and many others. One of her most memorable performances was her debut in Ljubljana, where she captivated audiences with Brahms' iconic Double Concerto with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra. Ema has also been an academy member of the Deutsche Kammerakademie Neuss Orchestra and the Bern Symphony Orchestra. She as well performs with orchestras such as the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra, the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and as solo cellist with the Folkwang Kammerorchester. Since 2023 she is cellist of the ensemble catinblack.
Javad Javadzade graduated from the Uzeyir Hajibeyli Academy of Music in Baku with a Bachelor's degree and from the Folkwang University of the Arts with a Master's degree. Since 2022 he has been studying for his concert exam with Niek de Groot at the Folkwang UdK (Essen), and in 2020 he was selected to perform contemporary works for solo double bass as part of the WDR 3 Campus Concerts. He was the double bass of the Azerbaijan State Symphony Orchestra and was later appointed principal bass of the Georgian Philharmonic Orchestra. Javad is a laureate of the J.M. Sperger Competition/Germany and first prize winner of the 18th EUTERPE International Music Competition in Corato/Italy. Works by contemporary composers such as Jalal Abbasov, Rufat Ramazanov, Rahilia Hasanova, Dmitri N. Smirnov, Elena Firsova, Hana Ajiashvili and others have been dedicated to him and premiered by him. Javad is a regular guest of Klangforum Wien and Les Dissonances (France). He is a founding member of the catinblack ensemble, a string trio specialising in contemporary music.
