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Billy Bultheel: A Short History of Decay • EEXXOO

Billy Bultheel: A Short History of Decay • EEXXOO

Billy Bultheel: A Short History of Decay • EEXXOO

© Thyago Sainte

Billy Bultheel lives and works between Berlin and Brussels. His experimental compositions merge contemporary music with Medieval and Renaissance polyphony, creating site-specific performances where musicians interact dynamically with architecture, sculpture, and custom-built instruments.

His new work, A Short History of Decay, draws inspiration from Romanian existentialist Emil M. Cioran’s 1949 book of the same title, which is a collection of bleak yet poignant aphorisms on topics like fanaticism, religion, music, and the nature of progress. Cioran’s work, written in the grim aftermath of WWII, resonates as a critique of fascism, idolization, and the chaotic potentials of human nature. For Bultheel, these themes frame a deep historical inquiry. In a parallel reference, Bultheel’s title nods to his unique instrument-building practice, which integrates resonators found in the walls of medieval churches. For A Short History of Decay Gaia Heichal assists in the instrument research and construction.

A Short History of Decay will be performed by an ensemble of 5 musicians, combining strings, piano, flute, voice, and electronic elements. Collaborators include Caleb Salgado on bass and Adam Sinclaire on flute, soprano Hannah Endrulat and cellist Chloe Lula. Andrea D’Arsie supports Bultheel with electronics. Bultheel continues his collaboration with Andrea Belosi (TOR Studio) as scenographer.

This performance is part of EEXXOO, a program that reimagines musical experience beyond the confines of traditional concert halls, blending sound, performance, and architecture. EEXXOO challenges conventional listening and concert experiences. For A Short History of Decay the audience is invited to engage differently with the theatre space.

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Former works of Billy Bultheel include The Thief’s Journal at Atonal Berlin (2023), Workers in Song at WIELS, Brussels (2023), and Mt. Analogue at the Pinault Collection in Paris (2023). Bultheel’s ongoing explorations have taken his music to diverse platforms, collaborating with artists like Anne Imhof, with whom he composed for Faust (2017) and Sex (2019), as well as creating music for choreographers and theatre productions across Europe. A compilation of pieces created between 2016 and 2023 was released on PAN records under the album title Two Cycles  in 2024.

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In 2020, Bultheel co-founded the modular band 33 with Alexander Iezzi, releasing their debut album 33-69 in 2021 and continuing to tour and develop new material. Bultheel’s background in composition and performance spans studies at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague and the Institute for Applied Theatre Science in Gießen, Germany, grounding his work in a unique blend of auditory and spatial innovation.

By and with:Billy Bultheelinstagram.com/billyjohnbultheel [ D’Arsie instagram.com/andreadarsie [Adam Sinclaire instagram.com/adamsinclaire [ Salgado instagram.com/perfect_deleted_futures [Chloe Lula instagram.com/chloe.lula [ Endrulat instagram.com/hannahendrulat [ Heichal instagram.com/birthed__ [

TOR Studio instagram.com/tor_tor_tor_studio [ instagram.com/andrea.belosi [ instagram.com/finleystewart_ [ [

Co-Production: Alice Agency instagram.com/sara.sassanelli [ instagram.com/jareddavisz [

Supported by Flandres State of the Arts

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