SMASH.duo

As a young ensemble, SMASH.duo sees its mission as revitalising the concert scene and breaking down long-standing stereotypes in so-called new music in order to reach more people and entertain them at the highest musical level. The two musicians began their collaboration after meeting at the Tzlil Meudcan Festival in Tel Aviv. With its rich history, the trumpet and percussion combination is no longer an ordinary duo. Moritz and Chloë want to develop this traditional combination further, challenge its boundaries and continue its history by integrating it into the new music scene.

Their Program challenging stereotypes including commissions for the ensemble by Sarah Zamboni and Vicente Atria was played in the Gaudeamus Festival, Dag in De Branding, BKA Theater Berlin and Intro In Situ Maastricht. 2025-2027 the ensemble is part of the InSzene Funding by Deutscher Musikrat.

Chloë Abbott regularly performs with internationally renowned ensembles such as MusikFabrik, Apartment House, Asko|Schönberg and Ensemble Modelo62. She has also served as contemporary leader of the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. She was the first female performer to play the trumpet role of “Michael” in Stockhausen's Licht at the Holland Festival in 2019. Chloë specialises in the interpretation of new and contemporary music.

Moritz Koch is percussionist with the Ensemble hand werk and works regularly with internationally renowned ensembles and theatres, such as MusikFabrik, Ensemble Modern, Deutsche Oper am Rhein and many others. He also performs as a soloist in productions by Enno Poppe, Sarah Nemtsov, Nicolaus A. Huber and many others.

SMASH.duo performed at Gaudeamus Festival 2025 as an Emerging Ensemble of the ULYSSES Platform.