Jo Quail

London-based composer and cellist Jo Quail sculpts immersive instrumentals with a cello, a bow and a bank of pedals. On stage she builds themes in real time, looping and processing melodies, harmonies and percussive figures into evolving architectures that sit between contemporary classical, ambient electronics and post-rock. Her writing balances weight and detail: dense, riff-like passages give way to quiet, close-up textures; lines splinter and recombine, always anchored by a clear sense of structure and pulse.

On 9 March 2026 at Hafenklang, Hamburg, Jo Quail presents a set that distills this language in a solo performance with the breadth of a small ensemble. The music shifts from granular drones to bright motifs, from rhythmic ostinatos that suggest drums to fragile harmonics and breathy bow work. She moves fluidly between long, sustained arcs and tactile, percussive gestures on the instrument’s body, letting the acoustic grain of the cello cut through the electronics. A focused live experience where sound unfolds, contracts and changes shape in real time.