August&Walter #2: Yu Ting Li / Kris Defoort

When you ask Kris Defoort who to invite for a thrilling meeting with the August Förster and our audience, he points out Yu Ting Li.

Yu Ting is a Brussels-based Taiwanese pianist who builds her work mainly concerning theinterplay of sounds and textures. Thanks to her 15 years training of classical piano, she obtains techniques to make the piano sounding diverse but at the same time, personal. During her study in Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel for jazz piano, YuTing started to explore electronics which broadens her database for sounds. She recently started her solo project of which she combines acoustic piano with electronics, creating a unique soundscape with layers of delicate textures.

Kris Defoort — composer, pianist, improvisor — is a major figure in the European jazz music and opera scene.

By creating a highly individual musical language that redefines musical traditions in an original way, his music is characterised by the encounter between classical and jazz music, and between written compositions and improvisation. As an accomplished musical colourist, he therefore disposes over an absolutely unique sound palette.​

Kris Defoort has released/performed on more than 20 albums in the past 35 years, both with signature projects (KD's Basement Party, Kris Defoort Trio, Diving Poet Society, ...) as well as side man/guest pianist or his opera works.

On September 14th 2021, Defoort's new opera creation finally premiered at La Monnaie/De Munt, "The Time of our Singing". Both the audience as well as the international press were raving about this long awaited production.

​Between 2021 and 2025, Kris Defoort will be working on several new projects: a piano concerto, an orchestral piece, works for solo piano, a 'Duet' with Hungarian singer Veronika Harcsa and finally a new song cycle, an orchestral work with as guest the American saxophonist Mark Turner. For this concert evening at Walter, Defoort will select 'à la carte' or 'selon l'humeur du chef'. Cheers!