FROTAE is an ensemble of five saxophonist-improvisers whose work combines microtonal composition, collective listening practices, spatialized sound, and improvisation. Founded and led by Montreal-based composer Liberté Anne, the members of FROTAE have been working as a core unit since 2023, when they began to develop a deeply collaborative musical language rooted in long-term experimentation and collective listening. The ensemble creates immersive listening environments in which the tactile and psychoacoustic properties of the saxophone become physically perceptible to audiences as performances move between the feeling of playground and sacred ceremony.
FROTAE’s debut album volume 2 (released October 2 2026 on Halocline Trance) will be launched at Flux Festival, with a guest appearance by spoken-word artist Stella Adjokê.
~Concert listening suggestion: the audience is encouraged to get comfortable: bring a mat, clothes one can lie down in. Liberté Anne feels this is the best way to get immersed in the sound: by lying down and sinking into the space.
Members of FROTAE are:
Geneviève Gauthier (alto sax), René Zeledon (tenor sax), Allison (baritone sax), Philippe (alto & soprano sax), Naomi McCaroll-Butler (tenor sax & Glissotar). All members also perform on harmonic flutes made by Naomi McCarroll-Butler.
The Mubone Collective is a transdisciplinary performance group working between Montreal and Copenhagen at the intersections of sound, movement, technology and architecture. The collective brings together trombonist-composer Kalun Leung, digital luthier Travis West, choreographer-performer Bettina Szabó, vocalist and creative producer Kirsten Voss, and percussionist-composer Sara Nigard Rosendal.
At the centre of their practice is the mubone, a wearable sensor system developed by Leung and West that transforms physical gesture into spatialized sound. Through site-responsive performances combining composition, improvisation, choreography and performative electronics, the collective treats bodies and architectural spaces as active participants in the creation of music. Their work explores migration, belonging and cultural identity, as well as the languages through which care and connection are expressed.
Kalun Leung is a Hong Kong–born, Montreal-based trombonist, performer and composer working across contemporary and improvised music, movement and technology. A Grammy laureate for his work with the Experiential Orchestra and recipient of the 2025 Kranichstein Music Prize at the Darmstadt Summer Course, he has collaborated with artists including Anthony Braxton, Meredith Monk, George Lewis and Sarah Davachi, as well as the Martha Graham Dance Company. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, FIMAV, the Aldeburgh Festival, Cologne Jazzweek, MATA Festival and NYC Winter Jazzfest. Central to his current practice is the mubone, a wearable sensor system developed with creative technologist Travis West that links physical gesture to spatialized sound.