Broken Ghost Consort
an extraordinary listening experience – Westdeutsche Zeitung
An exacting and fascinating meeting of art, music, and science. – Jazzwise
The music astonishes, and, on occasion, twists the brain.– Orynx1
Broken Ghost Consort is a pioneering electroacoustic ensemble led by composer and improviser Matthew Goodheart with Georg Wissel (clarinets) and George Cremaschi (contrabass). Together, they blur the boundaries between acoustic and electronic sound, blending traditional instruments, experimental technologies, and improvisation into a singular musical experience.
At the heart of their work are transducer-actuated instruments: gongs, cymbals, strings, and other resonant bodies activated by surface exciters. Rather than projecting through loudspeakers, electronic signals resonate within the instruments themselves, producing shimmering overtones, haunting timbres, and immersive textures that emerge from unexpected places in the performance space.
The ensemble combines this technology with written composition, structured improvisation, and real-time interaction, creating performances that unfold as both concert and installation. Instruments are often distributed throughout the venue, surrounding listeners in a sound environment that is fragile, powerful, and unpredictable. Critics have praised their ability to transform the act of listening: the Downtown Music Gallery called their music “consistently mesmerizing,” while Jazzwise described it as “an exacting and fascinating meeting of art, music, and science.”
Selected Works:
Album selections
Apparition #1 (5:58)
from Five Apparitions
Refraction Interlude: clarinet (6:37)
from Presences
Five Apparitions Tour, 2024
Live at Punctu m
(8min ), Punctum z.s, Prague
Live at St. Ruprecht
(4min 10sec), Nue Musik St. Ruprecht, Vienna.
Braken Tongues Wept (excerpt)
Broken Ghost Consort Plus, performing Presences in Münster, Summer 2019