Spaces Unfolding was initiated by Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen and UK stalwart improvisers Neil Metcalfe and Philipp Wachsmann. The trio was created to explore the percussion, violin and flute constellation with a particular interest in the acoustic spaces which they inhabit. Having been introduced to the London Improvisers Orchestra a few years earlier, Karlsen first approached long time member Metcalfe about potentially forming a trio. It was then known that he and Wachsmann had only collaborated in various large ensembles, never before in a small group context. Two obvious collaborators whose paths rarely crossed ultimately outlined an intriguing framework for the group to emerge from and this laid the foundation for their first outing: ‘The Way We Speak’. The album was captured in the unique acoustics of St.Mary’s Old Church, the last surviving Elizabethan Church in London, and was released November 2022 on the historic Bead Records to critical acclaim.

Neil Metcalfe – flute
Philipp Wachsmann – violin
Emil Karlsen – drums

Spaces Unfolding will be joined by Lizzy Speight (dance) and Dan Goren (trumpet / flugelhorn). There will be additional performances by members of Oxford Improvisers.

Oxford Improvisers is constantly seeking to further the boundaries of music-making through its weekly open sessions, monthly concerts, workshops and large scale events and collaborations.