Cathy Heyden is a French self-taught saxophonist, free improviser, and music educator. Before immersing herself in the European avant-garde scene, she was professionally active in theatrical and dance performance, complemented by academic studies in these areas. Currently residing in Paris, Heyden teaches at CFMI d'Orsay, Philharmonie de Paris, and a local music school. In 2017, she released her solo debut album, Badlands, in collaboration with Universinternational and 213 Records.
In 1998, Heyden became a member of the Pagaille improvisation orchestra in Nancy, founded by Louis-Michel Marion and René Le Borgne. In this ensemble, she collaborated with notable musicians such as Jean-Marc Montera, Sophie Agnel, Laurent Dailleau, Dominique Clément, and Françoise Toullec. Her work extended to improvisers, dancers, visual artists, and actors in both Nancy and Toulouse, collaborating with figures like Michel Doneda, Lê Quan Ninh, Martine Altenburger, Fabrice Charles, Ly Thanh Tiên, and David Chiesa. In Paris, she engaged with musicians including Hervé Zénouda, Dante Feijoo, Jean-Luc Degioanni, Sébastien Branche, and Ensemble Intercontemporain. Her collaborations soon expanded across Europe, involving Italian musicians Jacopo Andreini and Fabio Bello, as well as Spanish artists Liba Villavecchia and Artur Vidal, and reaching Japan through her work with Kumi Iwase, Trami Nguyen, and a duo with Tamio Shiraishi. She also toured with Urban Sax.
Throughout her career, Heyden has organized numerous ensembles, including the duo A Rose is a Rose with Didier Lasserre, Musique pour pupitres & ustensiles with Olivier Bartissol, the GHK Trio with Béatrice Godeau (cello) and Judith Kan (voice), and the spoken word/music trio As I Die, featuring Erell Latimier (voice, texts) and Olivier Brisson (drums). She has collaborated extensively with drummer Rogier Smal and performed with Maëlstrom, a project led by Jean-Philippe Gross, alongside Arnaud Paquotte on electric bass and Michel Oury on drums.
In 2006, Heyden teamed up with electroacoustic improviser Jean-Marc Foussat and saxophonist Sylvain Guérineau in the group Quod, which performed at Olympic Café. She continued her collaboration with Foussat in the Mezza Vocce quartet, fusing their music with video/text projections by Adeline Hocdet and Fanny Richert for the children's show BonPiet Beauneuille, inspired by Jean Dubuffet's works.
Her performance history includes a concert at La Générale En Manufacture in Sèvres with Yves Botz's freeform noise duo Mesa Of The Lost Women and trumpeter Jac Berrocal in May 2009. That same year, at the Avantgarde Festival in Schiphorst, she was invited by guitarist and videographer Uwe Bastiansen to perform with Stadtfischflex & The Flexible Orchestra, which featured Werner Diermaier (drums), Geoff Leigh (flute), Diego Vinciarelli (drums), Diego Pandiscia (bass), Max Manac'h (bass, noises, and effects), and Fritz Müller (keyboards). She also collaborated with Bastiansen under his Stadtfisch alias and participated in recording sessions for three records with Stadtfischflex. Heyden was invited as a guest by Faust at France BBMIX festivals in 2021 and 2012, in Brussels in 2012, and at various AvantGarde Festivals in Schiphorst, reflecting her enduring collaborations with German musicians.
She performed in a duo with Dutch drummer Rogier Smal on several tours across France, Germany, and Denmark, where they also collaborated with trombonist Maria Bertel and baritone saxophonist Jos Lunds, as well as in the Netherlands and England with guitarist David Birchall and in Scotland.
In France, she was part of the band Dildo alongside bassist Jean-Pierre Barja, guitarist Thierry Müller, and cellist Automne Lajeat, performing at Instants Chavirés and La Générale en Manufacture.
Focusing on noise music, Heyden plays alto and baritone saxophones, objects, and effects. She frequently collaborates with guitarist Erik Minkkinen from Sister Iodine and Lille-based noise artist Max Manac'h for unique performances at La Générale en Manufacture, CCL Lille, and in various West Parisian catacombs.
She is involved in the Traüme Süss duo with Polo (electronics) from Orléans at the Festival Densités and has an improvised duet called Chaussons with Scottish bassist Howie Reeve, touring in France, England, Scotland, and Spain, and appearing on Reeve's album Double Rainbow (2020). Heyden plays multiple instruments, including voice and electronics, in the Simone Poussière trio alongside Delphine Dora (piano, electronics, vocals) and Mathias Dufil (guitar, electronics, vocals).
Additionally, she is a member of the transatlantic music project Allochtone, collaborating with drummer Rémi Leclerc, double bassist Alexandre Dubuc, pianist André Pelletier, guitarist Olivier d'Amours, and accordionist Robin Servant for an upcoming album. Their first album was released in 2014, featuring Rémi Leclerc, Alexandre Dubuc, and voice, erhu, and laptop artist Sylvie Chenard, on Tour de Bras records.
Since 2017, Heyden has collaborated with the dance company L'éclaboussée for "Fanfares chorégraphiques" in Paris, working with retired individuals. In addition to her musical pursuits, she is also a sound and Tibetan bowls massager.
