Andreas Schaerer and Johanna Pärli

Photo: Reto Andreoli

Andreas Schaerer was born in Visp in 1976. Even in early childhood, he often experimented with his voice for hours. In 2000, he began his studies at the Bern University of the Arts, graduating in 2006. In 2007, he co-founded the Bern Jazz Workshop with Marc Stucki and Benedikt Reising. As a singer, he regularly performs his own projects, most notably with his sextet Hildegard Lernt Fliegen, in a duo with Bänz Oester or Lucas Niggli, In a trio with the two Viennese musicians Martin Eberle and Peter Rom, in collaboration with the classical ARTE Saxophone Quartet, as well as with Das Beet. He is also a sought-after studio musician and composer, working in a range of styles from free music to hip-hop and the scoring of computer games. In 2008, he won first prize in the renowned ZKB Jazzpreis with his sextet Hildegard Lernt Fliegen. In 2009 and 2010, he worked with Bobby McFerrin on two occasions at the invitation of Bobby McFerrin for the improvised opera Bobble. This collaboration had a lasting impact on him, and he performed with Bobby McFerrin again at the Cully Jazz Festival in 2012. In 2011, 2012 and 2014, he and his sextet Hildegard lernt fliegen were part of Pro Helvetia's priority jazz promotion program reaching the final of the BMW Welt Jazz Award in 2014. His concerts and tours have taken him throughout Europe, as well as to China, Russia and South Africa. He has worked and performed with Bobby McFerrin, Soweto Kinch, Bänz Oester, Lucas Niggli, Kalle Kalima, Christy Doran's New Bag, Kaspar Ewald's Exorbitantes Kabinett, Colin Vallon, Elina Duni, and many others. Andreas Schaerer has been teaching jazz singing, improvisation and ensemble playing at the Bern University of the Arts as part of a lectureship since 2010.

Photo: Leoni Altherr

Johanna Pärli (b. 1989) is a dynamic double bassist from Bern. As a freelance musician, she gives full rein to her improvisational passion and rage on the double bass in various bands and as a soloist (including with TIE DREI, Oort Cloud, Hyla Crucifer and 1000 Meter über Meer). Collaborating with other artists inspires her to keep creating new projects that challenge aesthetic, musical and social norms. One of these projects is her duo with Lucerne-based singer Vera Baumann (b. 1988): in 2021, they founded the duo pärli*baumann, which composes poetic songs using literary texts, field recordings and a lot of improvisation, and performs them in exciting situations. Vera Baumann draws from the moment to give her voice free rein, interweaving with the sounds of her fellow musicians (including those of Stimmreise, MingBauSet, Hyla Crucifer and Compagnie Trottvoir). She loves urgent lyrics, floating melodies and rhythmic playgrounds.