KLAENG Festival 2026 | Tag #2

Boundaries are blurring and genres are colliding—the 17th edition of the international KLAENG Festival presents the “here and now” of contemporary music at Cologne’s Stadtgarten from November 20 to 22.

Day #2 Program
November 21, 2026

David Virelles KLAENG Project

David Virelles’ KLAENG residency offers the chance to experience a very special project: the KLAENG Project can be heard exclusively during his stay in Cologne and Wuppertal. In this project, Virelles deliberately forgoes a drum set, thereby creating a soundscape of great transparency and openness. For this special setting, he has teamed up with three outstanding voices of European jazz: the two KLAENG stars Sebastian Gille (soprano and tenor saxophone) and Robert Landfermann (double bass), as well as Berlin-based guitarist Ronny Graupe. In their musical dialogue, they meet as equals—curious, impulsive, and with the courage to let the moment unfold.

David Virelles – piano
Sebastian Gille – soprano and tenor saxophone
Ronny Graupe – guitar
Robert Landfermann – double bass

Laura Perrudin Solo

Between plucking and magic, between silence and a magnetic pull: Laura Perrudin returns with her fifth album, “Tempus”—and presents it exclusively in a solo format. The French harpist, singer, composer, and producer has long made a name for herself as a crossover artist between pop, jazz, and electronic music. Since her acclaimed debut “Impressions” (2015), the international press—from “Le Monde” to the BBC—has followed her journey with growing admiration. With “Tempus,” she now ventures a radical return to her roots: After years of exploring electronic sounds, the Breton artist immerses herself once more in the acoustic world of her childhood. Plucked, prepared, and manipulated strings become the raw material for an imaginary folk—intimate, minimalist, and of hypnotic clarity. Her lyrics, sometimes in French, sometimes in English, unfold like fragments of a dream, hovering between wakefulness and sleep. On this evening, Laura Perrudin stands alone on stage—just her, her instruments, and time itself as her invisible partner. A concert that blends intimacy and precision into a rare sonic experience, full of beguiling intensity, hovering between memory and invention.

Laura Perrudin – vocals, harp, guitar, and ukulele

The Zawose Queens

The Zawose Queens

With their music, The Zawose Queens create a fascinating dialogue between the past and the present. Pendo and Leah Zawose usher the centuries-old musical tradition of the Gogo people from central Tanzania into a new era: the soaring chizeze fiddle, the pulsating illimba, the powerful ngoma drums, and their polyphonic vocals blend with delicate electronic textures to create a sound that is both earthy and contemporary. Their songs—sung in Kigogo—tell of the power of music, the beauty of life, and a deep connection to nature, community, and their roots. With their debut album *Maisha*, the women of the legendary Zawose family step into the spotlight for the first time as frontwomen, blending the musical legacy of their father and grandfather, Dr. Hukwe Zawose, with a self-assured, modern vision.

Pendo Zawose
Lea Zawose