Kit Downes

Born in the United Kingdom and educated between Norwich, the Purcell School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, Kit Downes since the late 2000s has developed a career situated between contemporary jazz, improvisation and writing for organ. A pianist, organist and composer, he first drew attention on the British scene with his trio and then with Troyka, a group where his playing blends oblique structures, discreet lyricism and rhythmic energy. His music moves between acoustic piano, church organ and harmonium, with particular attention to resonances, durations and harmonic colours. Kit Downes has also worked in varied contexts alongside Thomas Strønen, Django Bates, Squarepusher or Tom Challenger, while developing projects such as ENEMY with Petter Eldh and James Maddren, more tense and frontal, or chamber formats with Lucy Railton. Among his albums under his own name are Golden (2009), Quiet Tiger (2011), Light from Old Stars (2013), Obsidian (2018), focused on the solo organ, Dreamlife of Debris (2019) and Vermillion (2022) with ENEMY. Parallel to the stage, Kit Downes composes for festivals, ensembles and venues linked to contemporary creation, in an approach that brings together improvisation, written music and sonic research.