Latvian-born composer and performer Ilmārs Šterns, based in Bern, Switzerland, investigates the intersections of musical and choreographic moving art forms with a focus on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary practices. His work challenges traditional boundaries, combining elements of performance art, sound art, and visual art to create immersive experiences in which voice, sound, movement, and visual stimuli interact in real time.

Šterns’ exploration of the relationship between body and voice, along with the dynamics of the environment, expands the boundaries of conventional performance structures and transcends linguistic and artistic limitations, applying diverse methods as he seeks his own artistic processes and aesthetic strategies. He emphasizes the unique sonic properties of the voice and the kinetic potential of the body, leading to an intricate interplay of artistic elements. 

His compositions demonstrate a blend of structured and improvised components, integrating field recordings, costumes, graphic scores and physical objects, while exploring the agencies of human and non-human elements. Through these layers, Šterns seeks to foster a hybrid environment that reflects contemporary coexistence, changing the ways in which performance is known, where it is performed, and its audience.

Recognizing the strengths and limits of vocalization and dance, questioning assumptions, and contextualizing knowledge are essential for Šterns’ transdisciplinary work. Being in between different disciplines, working in transdisciplinarity requires adapting artistic processes, techniques, and concepts to new contexts that need re-evaluation. This creates uncertainty that doesn’t fit typical categories and goes beyond the traditional disciplines of music and dance, mediating between different paradigms.

Alongside master`s degrees in Contemporary Music Singing at the Riga Academy of Pedagogy and Educational Management (2014), studied Scenography at the Art Academy of Latvia (2017), and finished Sound and Performance Art at the University of the Arts of Bern (2020), he has a training in various vocal practices, piano, cello, and movement disciplines, as Dalcroze Eurythmics, Alexander technique and contemporary dance.

In 2014, Šterns received the appreciation acknowledgement for his investment in teaching the new generation of jazz musicians in Latvia from the Latvian National Centre of Culture. 

Since completion of studies, Šterns has produced a range of notable works, receiving recognition, including a Studio Scholarship in composition from the Landis & Gyr Foundation (2025) and a Creative Scholarship from the Latvian State Culture Capital Foundation (2023). Šterns’ notable projects include “BODY UNDER MIND” awarded by City and Canton Bern (2024), “Two Humans & a Harp,” nominated for the Nicati Prize (2023), and “Sound Performances for Clothes and Experimental Voice,” nominated for the Excellence in the Arts award (2020), shows his innovative approach and has received accolades across Europe, Africa, and America. Through performances, workshops, and collaborative endeavors, he continues to engage diverse audiences with his innovative artistry.