Winter Family is Ruth Rosenthal and Xavier Klaine. They met in Jaffa in 2004, and since then have lived mostly in Paris with their daughter, Saralai, who has been a significant part of their performances since 2016. Winter Family has developed a rugged, rich, and minimalist world that plays with codes and conventions. Initially, they began with musical performances across the world, in clubs, museums (Louvre, Palais de Tokyo, Art Basel), squats, and churches (St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, New York, St. Eustache Church, Paris, Church of the Dormition, Jerusalem).
Since 2012, they have also been creating documentary Theatre, focused on radical, controversial plays that raise burning questions without providing answers, placing the audience in an uncomfortable position and heightening their awareness. Their Theatre performances are produced by the Theatre Vidy-Lausanne, MC93, the Avignon Festival, the National Theatre of Brittany (TNB), and more. They have collaborated with numerous artists, choreographers, and filmmakers, composing soundtracks for stage productions, films, train journeys, and even a few commercials.
The music of Winter Family is described as ‘doom swing,’ ‘funeral pop’ or ‘weird wave’ It is dense, saturated, emotional, simple, and obsessive. Ruth speaks her texts, plays drums, machines, and bells. Xavier plays the organ, piano, philicorda, harmonium, sitar, and celesta. Saralai plays the flute, machines, and sings.
Ruth Rosenthal was born in Haifa and grew up in Jerusalem. She graduated from the School of Visual Theatre in Jerusalem and has performed and designed lighting for various dance and Theatre projects in Israel. Xavier Klaine grew up in Maxville, Lorraine. He won first prize in piano and chamber music at the regional conservatory of Nancy and holds a master’s degree in political geography from the Sorbonne in Paris. He played bass in several hardcore bands.
The family’s discography includes the radio piece Jerusalem Syndrome, commissioned by Radio France in 2009, and albums released on labels such as Sub Rosa (Brussels), Alt.vinyl (Newcastle), Ici d’Ailleurs (Nancy), and Psychic Mule (New York). This year, they released their fourth album, On Beautiful Days.
“Winter Family does not explore the irrationality of the world but the feeling of a non-world…”
Ainoa Jean Clémence, Mouvement magazine
“Their songs have the character of ebb and flow, where moments of pure beauty from chamber post-rock anthems alternate with cascades of aggressive noise. ‘Winter Family’ is a world unto itself—a stunning world, like a nature reserve, and at the same time foreign, frightening, and demanding like a forest in the dead of night.”
Avi Pitchon, Haaretz
