Since 2025, the trio Potato Soup + Truffles has been blending the sounds of the harpsichord, bassoon, and modular synthesizer.
The harpsichord and bassoon are modulated live and complemented by synthesized sounds. Through their collaborative interplay, they create multi-layered, improvised soundscapes featuring a wide range of diverse timbres.
The trio consists of Elena Khurgina (harpsichord), Jeanne Lavalle (bassoon), and Max Gausepohl (modular synthesizer).
Elena Khurgina is a harpsichordist specialising in early and contemporary music, improvisation and interdisciplinary projects. In her artistic work, she explores the expressive possibilities of historical instruments in a contemporary context.
Born in Charkiv (Ukraine), she began her musical studies at the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow. She subsequently continued her training in Hamburg, where she specialised in the harpsichord and completed her Master’s degree at the Hamburg School of Music and Theatre (HfMT). She also studied Contemporary Harpsichord at the Conservatorium in Amsterdam as part of the Erasmus programme.
She is the first-prize winner of the Prix Annelie de Man for contemporary harpsichord and performs regularly at international festivals, including the Bachfest Hamburg, blurred edges, The Art of Improvisation, Bach & now!, StimmeX, WePresent, the Feminale Hamburg and others. In addition, she develops innovative educational projects centred on the harpsichord for the Hamburg Open Online University.
Jeanne Lavalle is a bassoonist and contrabassoonist from Nice (FR). She trained in Paris and Lyon, as well as at the Hamburg School of Music and Theatre.
She performs with national orchestras in France and, as part of the ensembles BLOC and SPICC, continually explores contemporary sounds, extended playing techniques and improvisation.
She is a co-founder of Ensemble 404 and Ensemble Potato Soup + Truffles.
Max Gausepohl is a musician and sound designer working across a wide range of contexts. His artistic practice lies at the intersection of music, sound art and performative media design. As well as creating sound designs for animated films, he is involved in live electronics and spatial audio performances within ensembles and theatre productions.
As part of the DETEKTOR collective, he develops the sound design for radio plays, which are staged as performative formats at various venues. At the heart of his work lies an exploration of the boundaries between music, abstract sound collages and their spatial composition. His examination of the meaning and impact of sound forms the foundation of his artistic practice.
