Orchestre Partout LAB brings sixteen young musicians together for an evening of unexpected musical encounters. Led by percussionist Háshem Kabreet and pianist and composer Martin Fondse, they spend two days building an entirely new repertoire. Half of the participants have roots in the Middle East, the other half are students at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Over these intensive days musical traditions mix freely with contemporary jazz, forming new music.

Martin Fondse is a pianist, composer and arranger of jazz and contemporary music, and won the Boy Edgar Prize in 2017. In his world the usual boundaries between classical, jazz, latin and world music simply do not exist. His approach to composing and arranging is humorous and narrative, and comes into its own in large ensembles. Háshem Kabreet is a percussionist, handpan player, composer and bandleader. Born in Syria, he worked in Lebanon and Dubai and now lives and works in the Netherlands as artistic coordinator at Orchestre Partout and bandleader of the ÁMÀL Ensemble. In Syria and Beirut he built a rich foundation in Arabic and Middle Eastern music, and plays instruments including daf, riq, darbouka, cajón, djembé and hybrid drum kit.

The LABs are an initiative of Orchestre Partout, in collaboration with the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and the BIMHUIS.