This energetic and playful duo (Wim Pelgrims, percussion & Esther-Elisabeth Rispens, voice), will take you on their journey of sparkling, bubbly cheerfulness through a theatrical contemporary music repertoire. While always starting from a story to tell, Goggles surprises you with two energetic and giddy performers who are constantly looking to cross borders in the contemporary music domain. Who is actually the percussionist or the singer? Are they musicians or actors? Influenced by this performance freedom, Goggles becomes accessible to everyone and will give you a feel-good experience!

As a Belgian percussionist and performer, Wim Pelgrims has a tremendous passion and energy when it comes to contemporary-classical and experimental music. 

His roots as a professional musician are to be found at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent – where he was a student of percussionist Wim Konink, and which city is still his main base throughout his career as a freelance percussionist.

Through his personal projects, he discovered his role as a creator and curator. His focus is mainly on creating a bridge between the boundaries of diverse styles of music and art and initiating an immersive performance-experience. In 2017 he founded Nemø ensemble, of which he has to this day the artistical lead. This ensemble is the first embodiment of his love of interaction and an allround experience in music, to which a playful approach to light, space and movement is the core.

Besides his own artistic projects, he had his debut as a solo-percussionist in 2018 at Concertgebouw Brugge, with the piece ‘Zyklus’ by Karlheinz Stockhausen. He also performed as solo-artist with HERMESensemble – where he had previously been active as a freelance percussionist – in Gallery Axel Vervoordt. At this time, he is involved in the creation of a work by Heleen Van Haegenborgh – which will premiere at the MAfestival at Concertgebouw Brugge -, and he also has a new opera planned, composed by Ethan Braun and to be performed by Nemø ensemble.

As a freelance percussionist, he previously brought some of his passion and drive to ensembles as Nadar ensemble, Ensemble of Nomads, The Quixtet and BL!NDMAN.

Last but not least, he is also active in plenty of interdisciplinary and production platforms, in Belgium as well as abroad. In 2019 he was a juror during the World Music Days at the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) in Flanders. In addition, he already took part in multiple ChampdAction.LAbO, the Nadar Summer Academy and Darmstädter Ferienkurse.

Soprano Esther-Elisabeth Rispens is a versatile singer, always curious about new ways to take the stage. Her wide range of interests extends from contemporary music and experimental music theater to classical song recitals. She is passionate about constantly reinventing herself and pushing her own boundaries, adapted to each project she undertakes.

After completing her classical vocal training, Esther-Elisabeth Rispens performed on stages in Belgium, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece, and Hungary. She has a strong affinity for the Venice Biennale, where she made her debut in 2019 as the leading role in A pirate who does not know the value of Pi, a world premiere by composer Lucia Ronchetti. In 2022, she was a member of the Biennale College for young, promising artists. Her performances have been enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics due to her exceptional virtuosity, extensive vocal range, and expressive stage presence.

During the same period, she portrayed the role of the soprano in the opera production Into the little hill by George Benjamin at the Müpa Concert Hall in Budapest, conducted by Gregory Vajda, and directed by Csaba Horváth.

Her love for the theatricality of contemporary music is reflected in the duo Goggles, which she co-founded with percussionist Wim Pelgrims in 2020. In 2022, Goggles was awarded the first prize at the Supernova competition organized by Klarafestival, Flemish radio. The duo performed that season at venues such as Bozar, Flagey, Concertgebouw Bruges, and the Kunstenfestival Watou in Ypres. During the Bijloke Summer Academy (Ghent, 2020), the duo collaborated with Belgian composer Thomas Smetryns to create the performance A Room. This music was recorded at De Bijloke with a CD release. In November 2024, Goggles will premiere a new youth production at De Bijloke, in collaboration with Muziektheater Transparant, directed by Aïda Gabriëls, featuring music by Jonathan Bonny.

Esther-Elisabeth Rispens is the lead singer of the Nemø ensemble: a young collective that gives a contemporary and experimental twist to music in a new and modern way. The Nemø ensemble has been a guest at venues such as De Singel (Antwerp) – alongside the HERMES Ensemble -, De Bijloke (Ghent), and at the International Summercourse Darmstadt, alongside the Nadar Ensemble.

Since 2023, Esther-Elisabeth Rispens has also been part of HYOID voices, a vocal ensemble dedicated to contemporary music. She participates in the immersive production A-Ronne by Luciano Berio (June 2023 -…), directed by Joris Lacoste and Claire Croizé, as well as in the production RELICS in collaboration with the Spectra ensemble (October 2023). Both under the musical direction of Filip Rathé.

Esther-Elisabeth Rispens obtained her master’s degree in Classical Singing from the School of Arts Ghent, in the singing class of Mireille Capelle (2017). From 2014 to 2018, she also took lessons with baritone Louis Landuyt, and currently collaborates with Donatienne Michel-Dansac (Paris) and Don Marrazzo (US). Esther-Elisabeth Rispens has also participated in various masterclasses and music festivals, including the International Summercourse Darmstadt (Germany), the Akademie für Zeitgenössische Musik in Lucerne (Switzerland), Impuls Festival (Austria), and the Abbaye de Royaumont (France).

Esther-Elisabeth Rispens took the stage at a very young age. After her initial steps in the children’s choirs of the Royal Theatre La Monnaie in Brussels, she sang the leading role of ‘Captain’ in Benjamin Britten’s The Golden Vanity at the age of fifteen at the Royal Theatre La Monnaie. She then portrayed the role of ‘Becky Tatcher’ in Tom Sawyer by David Miller (Ars Lyrica). She also created the piece A Romantic Environment by Belgian composer Thomas Smetryns at a young age (Matrix).

PHOTO CREDITS
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Evy Ottermans @Transit Festival
Thomas Ost and Laura Van Snick (portraits)