Musho

Musho moves seamlessly between abstract exploration and the immediacy of song, with the visceral effect of sinking into a tender and powerful embrace.

In this duo, Sofia Jernberg and Alexander Hawkins draw on their shared affinity for the music of Ethiopia, having both honed their languages in the company of musical elder statesmen from that country: Jernberg with Hailu Mergia, and Hawkins with Mulatu Astatke.

Sofia and Alexander first performed together at Amsterdam's Bimhuis in October 2016, under the name Musho - an Amharic word meaning 'Sad Song'. Jernberg's work frequently takes her to the outer edges of vocal technique, including performances in contexts ranging from Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire to Mats Gustafsson's The End. Hawkins has been described as 'unlike anything else in modern creative music', and alongside his profile as a bandleader and composer, is a frequent collaborator in duo with Tomeka Reid, Nicole Mitchell and Angelika Niescier.

Musho released its debut album in April 2024 on Intakt, where they have expanded their traditional song repertoire to include Ethiopian, Armenian, Swedish and English.