The Kiezsalon opening weekend continues at Schloss Britz on Saturday, 23 May, with renowned Scottish vocalist Maggie Nicols, Ghent-based ambient producer Natasha Pirard, Finnish saxophonist Heli Hartikainen, and jazz ensemble KOOB, led by Minsk-born, Berlin-based singer Valeryia Dele. This follows Friday’s program featuring Andrea Belfi & Jules Reidy, Susannah Stark & Band and alice does computer music.
Born in Edinburgh in 1948, Maggie Nicols is a pioneering vocalist known for her contributions to European improvisation. After joining the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1968, she went on to lead voice workshops at Oval House Theatre, co-found the Feminist Improvising Group and establish the women’s performance workshop Contradictions, as well as collaborating widely.
In a review of her 2025 album with Dan Johnson, Contact, The Wire called her “one of a very few artists about whom it’s possible to say not only that she has an instantly recognisable presence and voice, but that she has invented a whole new art form all for herself.”
For the Kiezsalon, Maggie Nicols will perform two intimate acoustic sessions in the afternoon, ahead of the main program, inside the castle’s concert room. Admission is first come, first served and open to all Kiezsalon ticket holders. Exact times to be confirmed.
Natasha Pirard is an electronic musician based in Ghent whose compositions combine analogue synthesis, tape loops and acoustic instruments such as the violin with voice and field recordings. Her work pays close attention to the sounds of everyday life and how they carry meaning, while small motifs emerge and unfold, returning in ways that trace patterns over time. Her second album Fernande, Cecile was appraised by PopMatters as “a quiet miracle of an album” and placed among the top 15 ambient albums of 2025.
Award-winning saxophonist, composer and sound artist Heli Hartikainen is a passionate instrumentalist who continually pushes the limits of their instrument, themself and sound technology ever further. Their internationally acclaimed debut solo album, CHRONOVARIATIONS, won the Finnish Critics’ Association’s honorary prize for the year’s most significant artistic breakthrough and was nominated for Best Jazz Album at the Emma Awards, Finland’s most prestigious music awards. They make their Berlin debut at the Kiezsalon.
KOOB is the alias and debut project of Minsk-born, Berlin-based singer Valeryia Dele, whose vocals slide nimbly between jazz, funk, hip-hop and soul. KOOB’s 2025 album Off Head expressed urban frustration, mental weight and fleeting moments of fragile calm; Curious For Music described its lead track “Therapist” as “a staggering piece of music—part confession, part rebellion, all soul.” For Kiezsalon, KOOB will be joined by Seth Sjöström on bass guitar, Gabriel Fitros on drums and pianist Wolle.
Schloss Britz, a historic estate dating back to 1375, is a charming retreat in Berlin’s Neukölln district, where a beautifully restored manor house sits amidst open green spaces. With its blend of history, nature and culture, it’s an ideal setting to open our Kiezsalon season under the warm spring sun.
