WE SEE YOU
A musical initiative for human dignity, solidarity, and human rights
We See You – an initiative by Carovana091
The situation in Gaza is marked by immense human suffering. Every day, people lose their homes, their loved ones, their future. We See You is an artistic response to this: an initiative by Carovana091 that brings together musicians and collectives from Switzerland’s free improvisation scene. With the language closest to us – music – we want to express empathy and make solidarity tangible.
We See You – sounds the alarm
In autumn and winter 2025, a concert series will take place in six Swiss cities. Improvising musicians will perform their own works as well as versions of Sound the Alarm – a “composed improvisation” initiated by Clayton Thomas. Each concert is unique, but all share a common gesture: taking a stand and opening spaces for compassion through sound.
What you can do
Donate – every gesture counts:
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International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
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The Ghassan Abu Sittah Children Fund
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Or directly to We See You – we will ensure your contribution reaches the right place responsibly. (IBAN CH59 8080 8003 2395 6760 0)
Why We See You?
We See You arose from the conviction that music is never neutral. It can connect, reveal, and open spaces – even when words are no longer enough.
In Locarno, Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, Geneva, Bern and other cities, musicians from the free scene come together to play, improvise, and listen. These concerts are not explanations. They are invitations: to come closer, to pay attention, to feel with others.
We See You is a musical sign of the present – subtle, open, but determined.
We see you. We care. Let’s stay awake.
The idea
It all began with the album Sound the Alarm, a collective project by Australian double bassist Clayton Thomas. Carovana091 initially planned to promote the album to raise funds for Gaza. But Thomas suggested something else: a live concert with local musicians. Because live music moves, touches, and reaches further than any recording.
Carovana091 immediately embraced the idea. The Sous-Sol collective made the project their own – and soon it became clear how urgently such an initiative was needed. Many musicians in Switzerland felt a strong need to respond to the catastrophe in the Middle East, but what was missing was a common, authentic format.
A growing movement
It began with a conversation. Then it became a network. For Carovana091, a central question emerged: What responsibility does art bear in times like these?
Thus grew the vision of uniting music collectives from across Switzerland in one common project. It became more than an organizational framework: a movement built on trust, friendship, and artistic integrity.
The realization
We See You – sounds the alarm
By the end of 2025, at least six concerts will have taken place – in Bern, Basel, Lucerne, Geneva, Zurich, and Locarno. The collectives play Sound the Alarm or their own music inspired by the theme.
Artistic direction: Biliana Voutchkova (violin), Luca Sisera (double bass), Cyril Bondi (percussion), Roberto Domeniconi (piano), Natalie Peters (voice).
The concerts are created in collaboration with venues such as Mullbau Lucerne, WIM Bern, Insub Collectif Geneva, and local partners such as the Circolo del Cinema Locarno, which will accompany the concert with a screening of From Ground Zero – a powerful encounter of music and cinema.
Concert dates
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25 September 2025 – Lucerne, Mullbau (Season opening / Preview)
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8 November 2025 – Bern, WIM
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10 November 2025 – Locarno, Ex Rex (after the documentary From Ground Zero)
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12 November 2025 – Basel (venue tba)
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tba 2025 – Geneva, Insub Collectif
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tba 2025 – Zurich, Grosser Bär
Participating musicians
Artistic direction:
Biliana Voutchkova (violin), Luca Sisera (double bass), Cyril Bondi (percussion), Roberto Domeniconi (piano), Natalie Peters
Lucerne – Mullbau collective (large formation) Sound The Alarm:
Jonas Gehrig (double bass), Valeria Zangger (drums), Daniel Steffen (piano), Hans-Peter Pfammatter (synthesizer), Silke Strahl (saxophone), Carlo Brühlhardt (saxophone), Hannah Wirnsberger (flute), Nora Vetter (viola), Natalie Peters (voice), Biliana Voutchkova (violin), Marie Cecile Reber ( electronics)
Locarno – Ensemble Sous-Sol (large formation) Sound The Alarm:
Ivano Torre (drums), Nicolas Monguzzi (percussion), Sheldon Suter (percussion), Luca Manzo (piano), Hanswerner Plüss (piano), Enrico Teofani (trombone), Hanspeter Wespi (cello), Ueli Zysset (double bass), Gregor Vidic (saxophone), Fabio Martini (bass clarinet), Biliana Voutchkova (violin), Natalie Peters (voice), Luca Sisera (double bass), Francesco Giudici (electric guitar)
Bern (small formations):
Rebecca Minten (bass clarinet), Luz Gonzales (electronics), Christian Kobi (saxophone), Thomas Canna (percussion), Thomas Rohrer (rabeca, saxophone, objects), Biliana Voutchkova (violin, voice), Natalie Peters (voice), Sabine Vogel( Flute)
Basel (small formations):
Anouk Neyens (saxophone), Luca Manzo (piano), Marina Tantanozi (flute), Sabine Vogel (flute), Christian Moser (oud), Ed Williams (clavichord), Thomas Canna (percussion), Biliana Voutchkova (violin), Natalie Peters (voice), Stefano Grasso (percussion), Sabine Vogel (Flute), Andrea Neumann (inside Piano)
Geneva – Insub Collectif:
Anouck Genton (violin), Anna Kaisa Meklin (viola da gamba), Antoine Läng (voice), Christophe Berthet (saxophone), Cyril Bondi (percussion), d’incise (electronics), Raphaël Ortis (electric bass), Rodolphe Loubatière (drums), Violeta Motta (flute)
Zurich – Der grosse Bär:
Saadet Türköz (voice), Constanza Pellicci (voice), Peter Landis (soprano saxophone), Sebastian Strinning (tenor saxophone), Nils Fischer (bass clarinet, baritone saxophone), Manuel Mengis (trumpet), Valerio Lepori (trombone), Flo Stoffner (guitar), Gabriel Wicki (electronics), Roberto Domeniconi (piano)
Visibility & communication
Visibility is a central aspect of this project – not to generate attention, but to make something shared visible.
All participating collectives share the conviction: WE SEE YOU is more than a concert series. It is an artistic statement. A stance.
The aim is to make a free music scene visible that speaks with a common voice – in solidarity, openness, and dialogue.
Carovana091, Mullbau, WIM Bern, and Insub Genève provide their platforms to spread the initiative. In Basel and Zurich, new local networks and strategies are emerging. In addition, a digital platform is being developed to present the project, the musicians, and the shared message.
Through collaboration with local institutions, we aim to reach new audiences and foster cultural exchange.
Because it is not only about visibility.
It is about resonance.
About creating spaces where art, attention, and humanity can meet.
Goals & perspectives
At the heart of WE SEE YOU lies the wish to support humanitarian aid for Gaza in a concrete way. But the project goes further: we want to create a platform for encounters – for musicians and collectives, for artistically inspired projects rooted in solidarity.
In times of war, inequality, and division, we believe in the power of culture. In its ability to create spaces – for dignity, dialogue, response.
When words divide, music can connect. It can listen. Ask questions. And sometimes even transform.
Our long-term goal is to create places where musicians and audiences can meet – not abstractly, but directly, sensitively, together.
WE SEE YOU is our attempt to give this trust a sound. And an invitation: to listen, to feel, to act. Together.
