Julia Biłat
Cellist, Improviser, Composer
The world of improvising cellists is a rather small one.
The cellist, Julia Biłat stands out in this world for many reasons.
Her sound is “the spirit of the cello”.
Her sense of improvisation is powered by lightening quick thinking, humour and musical wisdom.
A rare and beautiful combination.
Greg Cohen
Album Drzewo available
on Bandcamp!
Julia Biłat is a Berlin based cellist, improviser and composer. She devoted herself intensively to the exploration of her own musical language. After studying classical cello at the Fryderyk Chopin University in Warsaw and the Mt. Royal College of Calgary in Canada, Julia started a co-operation with a jazz pianist Daniel Schwarzwald, with whom she has released two albums; “First Meeting”(2017) and
“Drzewo” (2021) containing mainly original compositions of both artists.
Since 2018, Julia Biłat has been a member of Stegreif, the Improvising Symphony Orchestra, which explores the possibilities of an improvisation within a symphony orchestra and revolutionises an image of a classical music ensemble. As a classical and improvising cellist Julia has been performing in Europe, Canada, Israel and China, in such concert halls as Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Berliner Philharmonie, Schloss Elmau, Konzerthaus Berlin, Radialsystem, Fusion Festival, ‘Sunset Sunrise Jazz Club’ in Paris and more.
Julia has been working with Stegreif.Orchestra, Greg Cohen, Leon Parker, Frank London, Fabiana Striffler, Julia Huelsmann, Fabia Mantwill and more.
As a composer, Biłat has been regularly commissioned by Stegreif to write music for the orchestra, develop improvisation concepts and to lead several productions: Moon Music I “Abschied”, at the Neuköllner Oper Berlin, Freischütz 2021(live stream in Konzerthaus Berlin), #bechange “Feeling” premiered in July 2022 at the Kissinger Sommer Festival, Bad Kissingen, Germany.
Since 2021, Julia has been working intensively on a solo project inspired by japanese Butoh dance, developing a solo format for a free, radical and holistic improvisation reaching out beyond the musical language and incorporating a performative elements as well.
Projects
- Solo (Cello, Voice, Performance)
Intuitive and animalistic; a performance created entirely in the moment. Julia Biłat combines her wide, cross-genred musical knowledge with a free improvisation, performative elements and humour.
- Album Drzewo (2021)
7 tracks, 5 original songs for cello, voice, piano and drums.
Free improvised Duos for cello and violin
Cello &Piano Duo with Daniel Schwarzwald (Biwald). Contains original compositions and improvisations of both artists.
Video
Concerts
23.06.2023
Improphonie Stegreif.Orchester
Saelchen, Holzmarkt 25 Berlin
02.06.2023
Goat Sessions with David Fernandez @PAF Berlin
https://www.performingarts-festival.de/en/program/goat-sessions-5
28.05.2023
Night of the Graphic Music by Grgur Savic,
Kuehlspot Social Club, Berlin
17.05.2023
withGuilherme Rodrigues @Hosek Contemporary, Berlin https://www.hosekcontemporary.com/events
29.04.2023
Mascha Juno Album Release Concert @ Podium Festival Esslingen https://www.podium-esslingen.de/artists/julia-bilat/
17.03.2023
Stegreif Chamber with Ana Prvacki @ Radialsystem, Berlin https://www.digitalinberlin.de/forecast-festival-7-radialsystem/
01.03.2023
12.02.2023
#bechange "Thinking" Premiere@Dresdener Philharmony
Stegreif.Orchester
25.01.2023
16.11.2022
Fabiana Striffler Quintett Rejazz Festival
A-trane Jazz Club, Berlin
11.11.2022
Duo & Maria Reich
@ L'ecritoire Salon Berlin
16.10.2022
@ Gabriele Glang Vernissage@ Kulturmühle Rechberghausen
04.10.2022
Cello Butoh Solo Performance @ Petersburg Art Space Berlin
24.09.2022
Stegreif Orchester, Improphonie Frankfurt, Palmengarten
23.09.2022
Stegreif.Orchester
Recomposition of Hildegard von Bingen by Julia Biłat, Alte Oper Frankfurt
20.09.2022
Stegreif Orchester, Improfest, Delphi Theater Berlin
18.09.2022
OEO, Weltfest Ludwigshafen
11.09.2022
Fabiana Striffler's band
@ Greven
28.08.2022
Goat sessions #3
Theater Performance @ Hosek Contemporary Berlin
15.07.2022
Premiere of Hildegard von Bingen Recomposed by Julia Bilat
#bechange by Stegreif Orchester, Kissinger Sommer, Bad Kissingen
12.06.2022
OEO and & Maria Reich Duo
@ Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci
21.05.2022
Julia Hülsmann Oktett, Ulmer Zelt
PAST SHOWS
14.11.2021
06.11.2021
Dec 09, 2019
Berliner Philharmonie, Hermann Wolff Room
Kindergarten concerts Berliner Philharmoniker
Dec 05, 2019
Silent Green, Berlin
Babylon Orchester
Nov 28, 2019
Jazzschmiede Düsseldorf
Fabia Mantwill Quintett
Oct 09, 2019
Premiere, Neuköllner Oper, Berlin
Don Giovanni STEGREIF&Neuköllner Oper, Berlin + 18 more shows until 10th of November
Sep 28, 2019
Theater am Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen am Rhein
One Earth Orchestra
Aug 24, 2019
Hochbunker an der Friedberger Anlage, Frankfurt
One Earth Orchestra
Aug 15, 2019
Contain't, Stuttgart
Julia Biłat & Maria Reich & Konstantin Döben
https://www.facebook.com/events/2379261802325745/
Jul 09, 2019
Donau115, Berlin
Solo & Witches Brew
Club "Donau115' Donaustraße 115, 12043 Berlin
© Julia Biłat - Photography: Odelia Toder, Dovile Sermokas, Julia Milberger