VICTOR SOMMA COMPOSER & FLUTIST
Minimal Dreams
In 2023, composer and flutist Victor Somma independently released his latest album, Minimal Dreams, in Belgium. Since then, the project has attracted the attention of prestigious festivals and renowned concert venues worldwide. Notable presentations include the National Flute Association Convention (USA), the Austrian Flute Festival (Vienna), the 20th ABRAF International Flute Festival (Brazil), and the Adams Low Flutes Festival 2024 (Netherlands). The program has also been featured in emblematic venues such as Splendor Amsterdam (Netherlands), La Cité Miroir and Le Grand Manège (Belgium), and the BNDES Auditorium (Brazil), where the full concert was recorded in August 2024. In 2025, Minimal Dreams was selected for the 2025/2026 Jeunesses Musicales touring season. About Minimal Dreams Minimal Dreams is a series of compositions for piccolo, soprano, alto, bass, and contrabass flutes, enriched through the use of a loop pedal. The works immerse the audience in an archetypal and subconscious sound world, inspired by the ancestral sonorities of Afro-Amerindian flutes. Somma transposes these textures onto modern instruments, creating a unique dialogue between musical heritage and contemporary expression. Through live looping, melodic layers are superimposed and interwoven, generating an immersive sonic experience. The process combines composed mental structures with spontaneous real-time construction, resulting in a distinctive minimalism in which each layer evolves independently. The outcome is an interactive and intersubjective musical space connecting performer and audience. Although the techniques employed are often labeled as “extended techniques” in contemporary classical music, Somma draws inspiration from Afro-Amerindian traditions that approach the instrument as an indivisible whole. Minimal Dreams transcends the conventions of the modern flute, integrating sounds that evoke a journey into the subconscious — images and emotions emerging as if from a dream. Origin and Context The concept of Minimal Dreams emerged from Victor Somma’s work leading music workshops for teenagers in psychiatric care, autistic youth, and inmates in a high-security prison in Belgium. While exploring textures and sonic ideas using a loop pedal, he discovered a format rich in expressive potential and gradually developed a unique musical language. The project extends beyond performance — it becomes a means of connection, dialogue, and expression. A Testament of Excellence The album’s first presentation was introduced by renowned flutist Emily Beynon, principal flute of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. She described the Amsterdam performance as follows: “Victor Somma presented a magical program of hypnotic flute music, exploring an incredible variety of instruments, colors, and dynamics. His concentration and commitment captivated the audience, creating a unique atmosphere in the hall. Victor’s technique is impeccable, and his creativity in the use of electronics is remarkable. I wholeheartedly recommend his performance.” Emily Beynon, Principal Flute, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam
Akuanduba
Akuanduba – Sound as Symbol These works emerge from a deliberate paradox: to use the architecture of Western musical writing — precise notation, contrapuntal balance, formal clarity — to create an experience that does not seek to explain, but to connect. Western tradition refined the structuring of thought: exposition, development, conclusion. Music inherited this logic, guiding the listener along a defined path. But a symbol does not guide. It bridges. A symbol is not important in itself; it is the axis between what is visible and what is invisible. In Primals and the Akuanduba cycle, each ensemble becomes such an axis. The writing is rigorous, yet it does not argue. Form does not persuade; it sustains a space in which something intangible may circulate. Extended techniques, multiphonics, breath textures, and expanded instruments — including the contrabass flute and the double contrabass flute developed by Eva Kingma — enlarge the field of listening. Not as effect, but as material. Sound becomes landscape, threshold, presence. The name Akuanduba comes from the mythology of the Arara people, where a primordial being restores harmony through the sound of a flute. When listening ceases, order dissolves. This is not narrative illustration, but orientation: listening precedes interpretation. There is no thesis to defend. There is a space to enter. Form does not conclude; it sustains. Notation does not impose; it channels. Counterpoint is not debate; it is coexistence. To blow, here, is an attempt to touch Pneuma, Ruach, Imi — breath as origin.
Blowing Away!
Blowing Away! is an interactive workshop that invites flutists and musicians to experience music-making as an act of freedom, discovery, and connection. Participants explore contemporary flute techniques, improvisation, and collective creation in real time, within an inclusive and welcoming environment where all skill levels are celebrated. The goal is to empower each participant to see music not only as performance, but as a shared language of expression. At the heart of the workshop lies a cycle of short, playful pieces composed by Victor Somma to introduce extended techniques in a fun and accessible way. Each piece focuses on one or two techniques, offering participants a hands-on and intuitive entry point into the sound world of the modern flute. Through performance and guided exploration, musicians gain confidence to experiment, improvise, and expand their personal vocabulary of expression. Building on this foundation, the workshop transitions into collective improvisation using Soundpainting, a universal sign language for real-time composition. This intuitive and expressive system allows the group to create music spontaneously, fostering deep listening, communication, and creative risk-taking. In this setting, everyone becomes both performer and composer, discovering new ways to connect through sound. Since 2012, Victor Somma has been developing a methodology that bridges contemporary classical music, improvisation, and community engagement. His work explores how musical creation can remain rooted in experimentation while remaining accessible to diverse audiences. Through projects in Europe and South America — from collaborations with ReMuA in Brussels to workshops and festivals in Brazil, Peru, Spain, Austria, Germany, and Belgium — he has witnessed how these practices open spaces for genuine dialogue, imagination, and play. Whether in a conservatory, a rural community, or a psychiatric hospital, the focus remains the same: to dissolve barriers between artist and audience and to celebrate music as a shared human experience. Flexible and adaptable, Blowing Away! has been presented in higher education institutions, international festivals, and community settings. Participants leave with practical skills in extended techniques, a deeper understanding of contemporary music, and — most importantly — a renewed sense of creative empowerment through collaborative creation. In a world that often separates tradition from innovation, Blowing Away! reconnects music with its essence: breath, sound, rhythm, and play. By blending these primal elements with contemporary tools such as Soundpainting and extended techniques, the workshop invites participants to rediscover the joy of creating — together, in the moment, and without boundaries.