Charlotte Hug violist, composer and visual artist, lives in Zurich and “en route” In addition to exhibitions, she performs as a soloist playing her own compositions at important international festivals in Europe, USA and Canada.

Hug often seeks out unusual venues for her performances, e.g. in the icy caverns of the Rhone Glacier in Switzerland, a half-exploded bunker in Berlin, in the “house of detention” a subterranean prison from the 16th century in London or in the caverns of hot springs in Baden Switzerland. Her domain encompasses a diversity of fields, including visual arts, performance, composition, improvisation and installation. She composes at the computer and with the graphic notations of the Son-Icons. Thus she creates spatial, three-dimensional scores for soloists and orchestras.

Charlotte Hug tries to maximize the amplification of playing techniques. With her “softbow”, she is able to produce up to eight voices on her instrument. She also specializes in mixing the sounds of viola and voice and creates her own unmistakably musical language. “So far the sonic potential of the viola has remained unexplored. Not any more…” Dan Warburton, Paristransatlantic.

Her work has been distinguished in a number of ways, with awards, grants and orders for compositions. This includes “artist in residence” in London, at the “Cite international des Arts Paris”, at the “Cork European Capital of Culture 2005” and Berlin 2007. In 2007, she received the price for composition from the City of Zurich.

She graduated in Visual Art and Music and received advanced training in voice with Lauren Newton, viola with Paul Silverthorne at the Royal Academy of Music London and “scenic design” both at the University of Art and Design Zurich and at the “Klangkunstbuehne” of the University of Arts in Berlin.

For several projects she collaborates with Barry Guy, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Linda Bouchard, Guillermo Galindo, Larry Ochs, Evan Parker, Elliott Sharp, Jossi Wieler (Theatre and opera director), among others as well as at the ICST (Institute of Computer and Sound Technology) in Zurich for compositions with spatial, three-dimensional sound projection. She is a violist and conducts the London Improvisers Orchestra and is also the founder of the London Improvisers String Quartet.


Artist Website