THE COLLECTIVE
The Freestyle Orchestra is an interdisciplinary collective of artists each with parallel skills in both classical music and contemporary circus disciplines, who collaboratively created integrated performance experiences. Their work displaces artforms from their usual habitats and explores the intersections between the physical and musical artist.
Equally at home in concert halls or public spaces, international performance highlights include the Venice Biennale, Les Jardins Musicaux (Switzerland), “Concertos on Fire” for Vivid Sydney, ‘Orchestra am Berg’ - concert at 1900m in the Austrian Alps and a commission to create the opening of the 2023 Wiener Festwochen. Recent collaborations include The Looking Glass Cabaret (performance series in shop windows during Covid-19, 2020–21), The Secret Garden interdisciplinary outdoor festival supporting The Sebastian Foundation’s youth mental health programs (2021) and Vien.noir cabaret (established 2022).
In 2024-25 they held residencies at CIRKLABO Leuven and Assembly Roxy (Edinburgh), showcased their upcoming production Tale of the Firebird at City of Wings Ypres, with further pitches at MICC, SIPAM and APAP New York. The project previewed at Milch X Honig Festival for Interdisciplinary performance in October 2025, ahead of a February 2026 residency at Grazer Akrosphäre in collaboration with Winterfest Salzburg, before a premiere season with Assembly Festival at Edinburgh Fringe 2026.
Their 2022 documentary with Fable Arts was selected for the 2023 Circus International Film Festival, and their practice has been featured at international artistic research conferences SAR and ELIA Biennial (Helsinki), featured at Classical;Next, UP Circus & Performing Arts Festival, Sibiu International Performing Arts Market (SIPAM), Montreal International Market of Contemporary Circus (MICC) and APAP New York and published in hypermedia format in The Research Catalogue.
“STRING PLAYERS, LEAPING, DANCING AND TUMBLING, OFTEN WITH INSTRUMENTS IN HAND, WITHOUT EVER DROPPING A NOTE.” - LIMELIGHT REVIEW
Sonja Schebeck
Artistic Director, Violin, Acro Middle/Flyer, Fire, Aerial
Jane Hackett
Violin, Floor Movement
Olivier Dietrich
Violin, Acro Base, Handbalance
Elena Sofia Genova
Violin, Acro Flyer
Chao-Ming Ko
Viola, Contemporary Dance
Antonio Chorbadzhiyzski
Cello, Acro Base, Fire, Cyr Wheel
Oliver Donaldson
Cello, Acro Base
Edoardo Blandamura
Double Bass, Acro Base, Fire
Oriel Marengo Ruiz
Double Bass, Acro Base
Chanda VanderHart
Piano, Acro Base, Fire, Aerial
Katharina Waigmann
Piano, Aerial
Anja Marina Habegger
Harp, Aerial Harp, Acro Flyer, Aerial
Salome Aebersold
Harp, Acro Flyer, Aerial
Luthiers
Marin Chorbadzhiyski, Damien Krzyminski