About the show

As part of the OCEAN programme, Alliance Française de Singapour and Neill's Jazz Lab are delighted to present the second iteration of NOESIS, Spontaneous Composition, a maelstrom of art forms which let freedom speak and boundaries fade.

This time, we offer you a unique, multidisciplinary performance that flows like water itself. Led by award-winning drummer Neill Gautier, and featuring Eric Tinsay Valles, director of Poetry Festival Singapore, this ethereal show brings together a talented ensemble of Singaporean, French and European artists—including a cellist, pianist, dancer, poet, and poetess.

Through an evocative blend of jazz, movement, and spoken word, the performance traces the elemental cycle of water — from hidden underground currents to raging rivers, quiet lakes, the stormy ocean, and back to the sky — inviting reflection on our deep connection to nature. Come and dive in this symbiosis to experience a sensory voyage that will not leave you unmoved!

Tickets are limited—reserve your spot today!

In English with a French touch!

For ages 8 and up

Location: Alliance Française, Theatre

90mins

About Neill Gautier

About Karst de Jong

Karst de Jong (piano) is a Dutch pianist, improviser, and music theorist. He is internationally recognised in the field, and has published research on music theory, improvisation, and collaborative music creation. With 35 years of teaching experience, he has held positions at top institutions in the Netherlands and Barcelona. Since 2023, he is a full-time professor at NUS YST Conservatory in Singapore.

About Martin Jaggi

Martin Jaggi (bass) born in Basel in 1978, studied cello and composition in Switzerland and Germany. He co-founded the Mondrian Ensemble and is principal cellist of the Basel Sinfonietta. As a composer, he has worked with major orchestras and festivals worldwide. Since 2014, he has lived in Singapore, coaching contemporary music at NUS YST Conservatory while commuting between Europe and Asia.

About Eric Tinsay Valles

Eric Tinsay Valles explores themes of home and exile. He won a Goh Sin Tub Creative Writing prize for After the Fall (dirges among ruins), forthcoming in Spanish and English (March 2025). His works include A World in Transit and award-winning anthologies A Given Grace and Finding God in All Things. He co-edited Get Lucky, Sg Poems 2015- 2016, The Nature of Poetry, and The Atelier of Healing. He is a director of Poetry Festival (Singapore).

About Carole Bocquet

Carole Bocquet is driven by two inseparable passions: literature and music. A double bassist and bassist, she has also been a professor of classical literature (French, Latin, and Greek) for over twenty years. Throughout her career, she has skillfully woven connections between these two worlds, cultivating what she calls a “virtuous balance.” She passionately shares the richness of literary heritage, bringing these timeless texts to life with a contemporary voice. Deeply convinced that oral transmission is a bridge to both emotion and understanding, she revives ancient languages and makes them resonate in today’s world. 

About Sudhee Liao

Sudhee Liao (dance) shifts between the roles of being an interdisciplinary choreographer, movement artist and educator. Her experience is wide ranging having worked extensively with artists across many disciplines. She has also presented works in different platforms and festivals internationally. Amidst the ebb and flow of her surroundings, her work is a response to the nuances and intricacies that define the human experience that embraces the ever-evolving nature of our existence.