Cathy Heyden is a French self-taught saxophonist, free improviser, and music educator. Before joining European avant-garde scene, Heyden had been professionally involved in theatrical and dance performance, carrying academic studies on these topics. Currently based in Paris, Cathy Heyden teaches at CFMI d'Orsay, Philharmonie de Paris and music school, and has a forthcoming solo debut album,
Badlands, co-released by Universinternational / Universinternational in 2017.
In 1998, she joined
Pagaille improvisation orchestra in Nancy, created by
Louis-Michel Marion and
René Le Borgne, and played with
Jean-Marc Montera,
Sophie Agnel,
Laurent Dailleau,
Dominique Clément and
Françoise Toullec in this ensemble. Cathy Heyden worked with improvisers, dancers, visual artists and actors in Nancy and Toulouse (
Michel Doneda,
Lê Quan Ninh,
Martine Altenburger,
Fabrice Charles,
Ly Thanh Tiên,
David Chiesa), and explored Parisian scene in collaboration with
Hervé Zénouda,
Dante Feijoo,
Jean-Luc Degioanni,
Sébastien Branche,
Ensemble Intercontemporain and other notable performers. Cathy's network of connections soon expanded across Europe, through collective work with Italian musicians
Jacopo Andreini and
Fabio Bello, as well as
Liba Villavecchia and
Artur Vidal from Spain, and reaching all the way to Japan (
Kumi Iwase,
Trami Nguyen, duo with
Tamio Shiraishi). She joined
Urban Sax on one of the world tours.
Throughout her career, Heyden organized numerous ensembles, including duos
A Rose is a Rose with
Didier Lasserre and
Musique pour pupitres & ustensiles with Olivier Bartissol,
GHK Trio with
Béatrice Godeau (cello) and
Judith Kan (voice), and spoken word/music trio
As I Die (
Erell Latimier – voice, texts;
Olivier Brisson – drums). She also worked extensively with a drummer
Rogier Smal, and performed with
Maëlstrom –
Jean-Philippe Gross' project with
Arnaud Paquotte on electric bass and Michel Oury on drums.
In 2006, Cathy Heyden joined electroacoustic improviser
Jean-Marc Foussat and saxophonist
Sylvain Guérineau in [url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/3670633]
Quod[/url] – and a quartet with
Jean-Luc Cappozzo on trumpet, live concert at Universinternational. Heyden continued working with Foussat in
Mezza Vocce quartet, which combined her and Jean-Marc's music with video/text projections by Adeline Hocdet and Fanny Richert, in
BonPiet Beauneuille children's show, inspired by works of
Jean Dubuffet.
Some of her appearances include a concert at Universinternational with
Yves Botz's freeform noise duo
Mesa Of The Lost Women and trumpeter
Jac Berrocal in May 2009. The same year, at Universinternational in Schiphorst, guitarist and videographer
Uwe Bastiansen invited Cathy to join him on stage with
Stadtfischflex & The Flexible Orchestra, which featured
Werner Diermaier (drums),
Geoff Leigh (flute),
Diego Vinciarelli (drums),
Diego Pandiscia (bass),
Max Manac'h (bass, noises and fx), and Fritz Müller (keyboards). She also worked with Bastiansen under his
Stadtfisch alias, and participated in
Stadtfischflex recording sessions for 3 records. With the same musicians, she is invited as a guest by
Faust in France BBMIX festivals 2021 and 2012, in Brussel 2012 or at severals AvantGarde Festivals Schiphorst. Those german friendships and collaborations never ending.
She played duo with dutch drummer
Rogier Smal for several tours in France, Germany, Denmark where they alo played with trombone
Maria Bertel and baryton sax [a=Jos Lunds], as well as in Nederland, England with guitarist
David Birchall and Scotland.
In France, she played the band
Dildo with bass player
Jean-Pierre Barja, guitarist
Thierry Müller and cellist
Automne Lajeat at
Instants Chavirés or La Générale en Manufacture.
Playing noise music on alto or barytone sax, objects and fx, her favorite partner is guitarist
Erik Minkkinen from Sister Iodine or Lille bass player and noise maker
Max Manac'h for some cryptics concerts at La Générale en Manufacture, [a=CCL Lille] or in some West parisian catacombs.
She plays the
Traüme Süss duo with
Polo, electronics (Orléans, Festival Densités), and an improvised duet Chaussons with scottish bass player
Howie Reeve (tours in France, England, Scotland, Spain) and appears on his
Double Rainbow record (2020). She plays several instruments, voice, words, electronics and sax in
Simone Poussière trio with
Delphine Dora, piano, electronics, vocal, words, and
Mathias Dufil, guitare, electronics, vocal, words.
She is part of the transatlantic music project
Allochtone with drummer
Rémi Leclerc, doublebassist
Alexandre Dubuc, pianist
André Pelletier, guitarist
Olivier D'Amours and accordionist
Robin Servant for an upcoming album. Their first album as 2014 with
Rémi Leclerc,
Alexandre Dubuc and voice, erhu and laptop
Sylvie Chenard, on Tour de Bras records.
She actually collaborates with dance compagny
L'éclaboussée since 2017 for "Fanfares chorégraphiques" in Paris, with retired persons.
She is a
sound massager and a
tibetan bowls massager as well.
