about
Trio SonCe was formed in November 2019, but its underlying concept was something that had been on Golovchenko’s mind for some time. Having initially contacted Masafrets to explore her idea of fusing folk and experimental approaches, she also received an unrelated invitation to collaborate informally from Arslanpay the following day. After joining the latter to improvise, she quickly realized the potential that a trio with the two of them would hold and the three soon became a band.
As much as Golovchenko’s grounding in Ukrainian idioms situates her as group’s ambassador for tradition, over the course of Five Seasons, she demonstrates a staggering range and intense sonic curiosity. Arslanpay’s winds and electronics provide an almost cinematic scope that seems to extend well beyond the confines of a trio without ever sacrificing the intimacy and clarity of their tight-knit personnel. He doesn’t shy away from deploying blatantly synthetic sounds, yet also approaches his modular rig from an instrumental perspective, maintaining a tactile sensibility at all times. Masafrets’ expansive vocabulary on the cello integrates a wide variety of different playing techniques making him the surprising chameleon of the group. The vast array of timbres he employs allows him to assimilate into Arslanpay’s atmospheric textures while having the ornamental capacity to shadow the melismatic contours of Golovchenko’s singing. Offering agile musicianship, a vast dynamic range, and a broad sound palette that encompasses abstraction to visceral lyricism, and the organic to the electronic, SonCe’s music is arrestingly potent and thoroughly unpredictable.
Since the release of their first album “Five Seasons” in September 2021 they have been performing the project in the Netherlands at many festivals and music halls like Havikconcerten, Houtfestival, Gaudeamus festival, Eyefilm museum, or Le guess who.
Cengiz Arslanpay
Cengiz Arslanpay has developed a deep knowledge in Ottoman music, using it in his contemporary compositions of new microtonal music together with his interest in sound design, sound synthesis, new instrument creations and the mastery of the Ney, Kaval and Duduk. In addition to frequently performing as a soloist, Cengiz Arslanpay is a fellow collaborator of Michel Banabila, Oene Van Geel, and Ab Baars, and has also worked with bass saxophonist Klaas Hekman, baglama player Orkun Agir, microtonal folk eccentric Chris Rainier, and renowned sheng innovator WuWei.
Maryana Golovchenko
A native of Ukraine, Golovchenko moved to the Netherlands in 2011 and established herself as an eclectic singer, curator and teacher, with a particular interest in intercultural collaboration. She's worked with the likes of electronic musician Michel Banabila, celebrated improvising violinist Oene van Geel, Dutch-Ukrainian composer Maxim Shalygin, German jazz guitarist Florian Zenker, vocalists Sanne Rambags, Sanem Kalfa, George Dumitriu, Lumpeks Trio, Joachim Badenhorst, and is a member of Quadriga Quartet and August 38th.
Pau Sola
Barcelona-born cellist Pau Sola Masafrets has cultivated a unique language on his instrument and worked with a number of key figures in jazz and improvised music, including Ig Henneman, Ab Baars, Wolter Wierbos, Mary Oliver, Oene Van Geel, and Gareth Davis. He shares Golovchenko's interest in cross-cultural expression and has delved into South Indian music as an extension of his own creative endeavours.