IKaggen (for Open Score ensemble) by Wilma Pistorius will be performed by an ensemble of CoMA Maastricht, in the final of the composition competition.

IKaggen is a piece about ease and lightness, and also about mischief. It is named after a folk hero and creator god from the cosmology of the IXam people of Southern Africa. He is a trickster god who can shape-shift, usually taking the form of a praying mantis.

The piece is not a programmatic representation of this folkloristic deity. Rather, it is inspired by what the character represents (for me): the feeling of humor and lightness that sometimes arises when we embrace the unknown, the way this ease and freedom creates space for mischief and playfulness, and an appreciation for the beauty of ordinary things. Technically, it is a piece about the fun of playing together, and the beauty of imperfection.