The collaboration between Samuel Gapp and Brazilian Spoken Word artist Rodrigo Brandão explores the reciprocal relationships between several thematic zones: rupture and ritual in performance, transcultural practice, and the composition/improvisation dichotomy referring to both written and oral traditions.
Excerpt from Rodrigo Brandão’s biography:
The lyrical depth, the spiritual relationships between urban imaginary and African ancestry, in addition to a certain punk look, guide the particular universe of Rodrigo Brandão. Born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil, but currently living in Lisbon, Portugal, he has been wielding microphones and expressing himself artistically for over two decades.
Photos by Nuno Martins
Collaborative Project 2026 (#MusikerZukunft Scholarship)
Throughout 2026, Samuel Gapp directed and coordinated a collaborative project realised in Freiburg and Cologne, Germany. The project unfolded in three phases: an initial duo residency, a period of independent development and composition, and an ensemble residency.
The project was funded by the #MusikerZukunft Scholarship of the Deutsche Orchesterstiftung and the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg, and had logistic support by Goethe-Institut Freiburg, E-Werk Freiburg, and Loft Cologne.
1 | Residency in Freiburg, Germany | January 2026
During a four-day residency in Freiburg, Germany, Gapp and Brandão explored the above-mentioned themes through duo improvisations and recordings, as well as through conversations and discussions of textual and musical references (see list below).
The research process was publicly shared in a duo performance at Goethe-Institut Freiburg, followed by a vivid discussion with the audience.
List of references (selection)
Literature:
Shake the City (Billet, 2022)
Music and the Myth of Wholeness (Hodgkinson, 2016)
Black Music (Baraka, 1967)
Being Time (Glover, Harrison & Gottschalk, 2018)
Acoustic Colonialism (Cárcamo-Huechante, 2025)
Music:
Pedro Santos – Krishnanda (1968)
Milton Nascimento – Fé Cega, Faca Amolada (1979)
Art Ensemble of Chicago
New York Art Quartet
Ross Bolleter – Total Piano (2021)
Rehearsal recordings (selection)
Poster by Laura Hinz
2 | Development and Research Process
The recordings, textual and thematic material created during the residency were subsequently documented and further developed by Samuel Gapp. This process aimed to weave the material into the foundation of a collaboratively shaped ensemble work, based on textual instructions and free improvisation.
3 | Ensemble Residency in Freiburg, Germany | July 2026
Finally, an ensemble residency was scheduled for July in Freiburg, Germany, as a culmination of the foregoing research process. The ensemble work, to be developed collaboratively on the basis of Gapp’s preparatory work, was to be presented at E-Werk, Freiburg, and Loft, Cologne, including a live recording.
The ensemble consisted of
Samuel Gapp – Piano, Composition, Direction
Rodrigo Brandão – Spoken Word
Albert Cirera – Saxophones
Susana Santos Silva – Trumpet
Vasco Furtado – Drums
The planned ensemble residency and performances unfortunately had to be postponed due to unforeseen circumstances. The project is now being rescheduled for development and public presentation in 2027.
Poster by Laura Hinz
Gapp | Cirera | Furtado + Rodrigo Brandão
An independent ensemble emerging from the collaboration between Samuel Gapp and Rodrigo Brandão.
In March 2026, the improvisation trio Gapp | Cirera | Furtado invited Rodrigo Brandão for a concert and recording session in Lisbon. What began as a spontaneous encounter developed into an independent ensemble, carrying the shared artistic research into a new context.
Samuel Gapp – Piano
Albert Cirera – Saxophones
Vasco Furtado – Drums
Rodrigo Brandão – Spoken Word
New recording and tour dates for 2027 coming soon!
Photo by Nuno Martins
SAMUEL GAPP 