Sylvie Courvoisier

Sylvie Courvoisier (born November 30, 1968 in Lausanne, Switzerland) is a composer, pianist and improviser.

Sylvie Courvoisier
Courvoisier at the Moers Festival 2017
Background information
Birth name	(1968-11-30) November 30, 1968
Origin	Lausanne, Switzerland
Occupation(s)	Composer, musician
Instruments	Piano
Labels	Enja, Intakt, Tzadik, ECM
Associated acts	Mark Feldman, Mephista, John Zorn
Website	sylviecourvoisier.com

Courvoisier was born and raised in Switzerland. In 1998, she moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she currently resides. Courvoisier has led several groups over the years and has recorded over 25 records as a leader or co-leader for different labels, notably ECM, Tzadik and Intakt Records and about 35 cds as a side person. She co-leads the Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman Quartet and leads her own Trio with Kenny Wollesen and Drew Gress. She leads her quintet, Lonelyville, and the Trio Abaton. She is a member of Mephista, an improvising trio with Ikue Mori and Susie Ibarra; Herb Robertson Quintet, with Tim Berne, Tom Rainey and Mark Dresser; Vincent Courtois Trio, along with Ellery Eskelin; and plays in different projects of John Zorn’. Since 1997, she also performs regularly in duo with violinist Mark Feldman (her husband). Since 2010, she has been working as a pianist and composer with the project of the flamenco dancer Israel Galvan "la Curva ». She received a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artist award (2018).

Selected discography

As leader

Year recorded	Title	Label	Notes
1994	Sauvagerie Courtoise	Unit	Quintet, with Guglielmo Pagnozzi (sax), Lauro Rossi (trombone), Pascal Portner (drums), Banz Oester (bass)
1996	Ocre	Enja	Quintet, with Michel Godard (tuba), Pierre Charial (barrel organ), Mark Nauseef (drums), Tony Overwater (bass)
2000	Y2K	Enja	Trio, with Michel Godard (tuba), Pierre Charial (barrel organ)
2003	Abaton	ECM -Double album -	Trio, with Mark Feldman (violin), Erik Friedlander (cello)
2007	Signs and Epigrams	Tzadik	Solo piano
2008	Lonelyville	Intakt	Quintet, with Ikue Mori (electronics), Mark Feldman (violin), Vincent Courtois (cello), Gerald Cleaver (drums)
2014	Double Windsor	Tzadik	Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums)
2018	D'Agala	Intakt	Trio, with Drew Gress (bass), Kenny Wollesen (drums)

As co-leader

With Mark Feldman

• Music for Violin and Piano with Mark Feldman (Avant, 1999)
• To Fly to Steal – Sylvie Courvoisier-Mark Feldman Quartet with Thomas Morgan and Gerry Hemingway(Intakt 2010)
• Oblivia with Mark Feldman (Tzadik, 2010)
• Hôtel du Nord – Sylvie Courvoisier–Mark Feldman Quartet with Thomas Morgan and Gerry Hemingway(Intakt, 2011)
• Live at Theatre Vidy–Lausanne – Sylvie Courvoisier–Mark Feldman Duo (Intakt, 2013)
• Birdies for Lulu–Sylvie Courvoisier–Mark Feldman Quartet with Scott Colley and Billy Mintz (Intakt, 2014)
• Miller's Tale–Sylvie Courvoisier–Mark Feldman - Evan Parker- Ikue Mori (Intakt, 2016)
• Time Gone Out – Sylvie Courvoisier–Mark Feldman Duo (Intakt, 2019)

With Mephista (Courvoisier, Ikue Mori and Susie Ibarra)

• Black Narcissus (Tzadik, 2002)
• Entomological Reflections (Tzadik, 2004)

With others

• Birds of a feather with Mark Nauseef (Unit Records, 1997)
• Lavin with Lucas Niggli (Intakt, 1999)
• Deux Pianos with Jacques Demierre (Intakt, 2000)
• Passaggio with Joelle Leandre , Susie Ibarra (Intakt, 2002)
• Alien Huddle with Ikue Mori, Lotte Anker (Intakt, 2008)
• ''Every So Often with Ellery Eskelin (Prime Source, 2010)
• As Soon as Possible with Courtois, Eskelin (CAM Jazz, 2010)
• Either Or And with Evan Parker (Relative Pitch, 2014)
• Salt Task with Chris Corsano, Nate Wooley (Relative Pitch, 2016)
• In Cahoots with Mark Feldman, Ned Rothenberg (Clean Feed, 2016)
• Crop Circles with Mary Halvorson (Relative Pitch, 2017)

As sidewoman

With John Zorn

• Cobra: John Zorn's Game Pieces Volume 2 (Tzadik, 2002)
• Masada Recital (Tzadik, 2004)
• Malphas: Book of Angels Volume 3 (Tzadik, 2006)
• Femina (Tzadik, 2009)
• Dictée/Liber Novus (Tzadik, 2010)

With Erik Friedlander

• 50 Miniatures for Improvising Quintet (Skipstone, 2010)
• Claws and Wings (Skipstone, 2013)

With Herb Robertson

• Real Aberration (Clean Feed, 2005)
• Elaboration (Clean Feed, 2007)

With Nate Wooley

• NATE WOOLEY BATTLE PIECE (Relative Pitch, 2015)

Nate Wooley ( trumpet), Ingrid Laubrock ( sax), Sylvie Courvoisier ( piano), Matt Moran ( vibraphone)

• NATE WOOLEY BATTLE PIECE II (Relative Pitch, 2017)

External links

• Official web site
• List of compositions

Literature

• Rosset, Dominique: Au carrefour des mondes. La compositrice et pianiste lausannoise Sylvie Courvoisier. Zurich 2005.