Emerging from the BIMhuis REFLEX series, artists were invited to reflect on the world and society through their music. Nicolò Ricci seized this opportunity to realize a long-cherished dream: composing for a chamber orchestra. “I’ve been fantasizing about this for years,” he says. “For me, composing comes first—an influence from my father, a contemporary classical composer who introduced me at a young age to both the classical masters and the Italian avant-garde.”

The chamber orchestra will collaborate with Ricci’s jazz quartet, in which improvisation plays a central role. “As an improviser, I see a connection between developing a personal musical language and composing,” the saxophonist explains. “You’re constantly choosing elements to expand your vocabulary.”