An hourglass is a timeless object - used in everyday life over millennia, something ancient and yet simultaneously contemporary. This is the energy from which the ensemble Hourglass, directed by Liane Sadler, takes its musical impulses, blending the past and present through syntheses of old and new music. A renaissance flute consort at its core, flexible constellations often include voice and lute. The ensemble members are equally at home in early music specialisation as well as alternative performance formats, and use historical practices and instruments as fresh tools for exploring the present moment. Their most recent collaboration was with composer and traverso player Mara Winter, exploring thresholds between Renaissance and contemporary microtonal music, and they look forward to their upcoming collaboration with Francesca Gaza. They have enjoyed performances at the Alte Musik Fest Friedenau, ZAMUS: Early Music Festival in Köln, and the WDR3 radio.