Grand Ensemble Koa

Collectif Koa is a collective of musicians from Montpellier, France, serving as a space for creation, encounters, and artistic collaboration—open to all forms of musical expression. The collective was formed in 2006 out of a personal, musical, and artistic encounter during the big band course at the Perpignan Regional Conservatory under the direction of Alfred Vilayleck. After a year of working together, it was unthinkable for the nine musicians to settle for that: The founding members met again in November 2007 to establish Collectif Koa. They see themselves as a dynamic organization dedicated to making jazz and improvised music accessible to as wide an audience as possible and to celebrating the diverse origins of jazz and improvised music.