NEX:XUS: Latin for “connection.” A fitting name for a band that first came together in December 2023 at the Stadtgarten in Cologne, on the initiative of Berlin-based German-Israeli singer Efrat Alony and Cologne-based trumpeter Heidi Bayer. Since then, they have sought to connect what belongs together. The two have not known each other for long, but they share an intense friendship and musicality that they hope to transform into sound through this joint project.
Profound musical moments meet lightness and fragility, but also urgency and power. These are compositions that, on the one hand, seem dreamy and enchanted, yet on the other, bear witness to turmoil and madness. The connection between opposites and the unity in the feminist spirit make this band a labor of love for the two musicians. Together with Danish drummer Michala Østergaard-Nielsen and Berlin-based bassist Anne Mette Iver-
sen, also from Denmark, they form the core lineup of the quartet. Part of the band’s concept is to vary the instrumentation for concerts, thereby opening up further spontaneous avenues of expression that can steer the musical direction in new directions.
The musical projects of Efrat Alony and Heidi Bayer have already received numerous awards. Both have been honored with the German Jazz Prize. Just recently, Alony was also honored with the “Opus Klassik Award” in the “Classic without Limits” category. With this new project, they now hope to collaborate and translate their personal encounters and perspectives into music.
Efrat Alony &
Heidi Bayer-NEX:XUS
ON TOUR: October & November 2026
& always on request
Efrat Alony_vocals, electronics, composition
Heidi Bayer_trumpet, flugelhorn, composition
Anne Mette Iversen_bass, composition
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen_drums, composition
+ Special Guest_harmony instrument, composition