COCHLEA DUO

Cochlea thrives on harpist Lindsay Buffington and flutist Chelsea Czuchra’s combined interest in a broad spectrum of music, including original works and transcriptions for flute and harp, as well as a commitment to commissioning new works for this ensemble. Founded in 2013, the Duo is based in Switzerland, and maintains strong connections to artists and presenters in North America. The Cochlea Duo has twice been in residence at the soundSCAPE Festival in Maccagno, Italy (2015, 2016) and has given performances at the 2016 National Flute Association convention in San Diego, “An Die Musik” in Baltimore, Lyceum Club Lausanne and other Swiss venues. They have toured in the US, Ireland and the UK. Their projects have been supported by the Nicati-de Luze Foundation, Aargauer Kuratorium, Dwight and Urusla Mamlok Foundation, Arts Council Ireland and the Swiss Cultural Fund UK.

Cochlea’s repertoire includes original music by Toru Takemitsu, Gareth Farr, Astor Piazzolla among others, and commissioned works by composers including Michèle Rusconi and Jesse Jones. Lindsay and Chelsea's performances have been featured on KXLU Los Angeles, BBC Belfast NI and Radio X in Basel.

Recent Cochlea projects include their collaboration with soprano Liz Pearse, which features works by Ursula Mamlok, George Crumb and other composers originally commissioned by the Jubal Trio. The three musicians form the Damselfly Trio since 2017. The trio has commission new works for their multi-year project “the Little Songbook Project”, by composers including Valerie Coleman, Jesse Jones and Junghae Lee, featuring extant and new poetry. In July 2018, the trio and the composers Pierce Gradone and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon were in residence at Avaloch Farm in New Hampshire, USA. “Book One” of the project toured North Carolina in 2018 and 2020, presenting new pieces by Pierce Gradone, Lindsey Jacob and Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon.

As co-commissioners, the Damselfly Trio were the recipients with the composer Ryan Molloy of a 2017-2018 Arts Council Ireland grant. The grant supported the creation of a collaborative new work by Molloy and the poet Martin Dyar. The new piece, a song cycle entitled "Buaine na Gaoithe", was premiered in October 2018 at Maynooth University in Dublin, Ireland. The trio subsequently toured Ireland, with performances and workshops at the Irish World Academy in Limerick, National Library of Ireland in Dublin and the Linenhall Arts Centre in Castlebar, among others.

CHELSEA CZUCHRA

A performer at home in a wide range of genres and repertoire, flutist Chelsea Czuchra is especially drawn to the experimental, quiet, and gorgeous sounds found in the world of new music. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe and North America, including turns as a scotch tape virtuoso and bull-roarer player. Chelsea’s most recent collaborative projects have included commissioning, premiering and recording the song cycle “Buaine na Gaoithe” by Ryan Molloy and Martin Dyar, with the Damselfly Trio, and the launch of a project commissioning works for moving/ vocalizing flutist. An advocate for arts education, Chelsea frequently performs for outreach programs in Switzerland and around the US. Based in Switzerland, Chelsea was raised in eastern North Carolina and is a proud graduate of UNCSA, the NC Governor’s School, Purchase College and CalArts. 

Banner Photo : Arthur Häberli