The Elephant in the Room: 3 Commissions
a new album on Warp to be released October 08:

A follow up to 3 commissions, which was released in 2004 and featured the London Sinfonietta. This album comprises of pieces taken from 'Elephant and Castle', an opera commissioned for the Aldeburgh Festival, 'Dead Wedding' commissioned by Opera North and 'memoryofamoment', extracts from a piece commisioned by the Faster Than Sound festival as an installation with video artist Quayola. The musicians who performed these new compositions during these productions; comprise of The Young Danish String Quartet, cellist Oliver Coates, Violist Xandi Van Dijk and Clarinetist Peter Sparks, as well as members of the Opera North Company.

" With The Elephant In The Room, you’ll feel Mira Calix, in your head, telling you a story, taking you someplace. It may be dark in places, but don’t be alarmed. Enjoy the journey. She has. And she’s not done traveling yet."
warp

My Secret Heart



My Secret Heart is a new commission by Streetwise Opera of a music and film installation written by electronic composer and Warp artist Mira Calix, video artists Flat-e and sound designer Dave Sheppard. They are working with around 80-100 Streetwise performers from across the UK to create a unique work that will be shown around the world.
The new piece is inspired by the Allegri’s 17th-century choral work Miserere Mei, a piece so protected by the Vatican that they put an embargo on it. It wasn’t until Mozart transcribed it during a visit to Rome that the world began to share this astonishing work. Mira Calix and Flat-e have used the theme of secrecy to explore movements and singing with Streetwise’s participants to create this new century-leaping work.
The installation will be previewed in Lucerne in October, premiered at the Royal Festival Hall on 3rd December and tour to galleries and festivals across the world through 2009.
http://www.streetwiseopera.org

Recovery to Discovery
a new album released in surround (SACD) by the BMIC curated by Lieven Bertels

The album contains the quintessential works from the British avant-garde electronic music scene of different generations written in surround. These include Sir Harisson Birtwistle's only electronic piece; Chronometer, Jonathan Harvey's “Mortuos Plango” and Javier Alvarez’s Temazcal and includes a newversion of Mira Calix's NUNU, a piece created with insects and the London Sinfonietta recorded in Paris and |Brugge. Release Date Nov 08

Rock Music/Rock Art:
two new pieces commissioned for the London Sinfonietta,, based on an early rock instrument found on an island in Lake Victoria and performed by them and the Lead Musicians of Uganda Dance Academy, five of Uganda's finest musicians.
The eclectic mix of music on the night, will also include the world premiere of Nigel Osborne's Lolui Island-inspired Gorofa Point for trombone and electronics and more.
details on the gigs page :

new remix of Freaky Bitches with Oliver Coates on cello out now on Touchin' Bass
http://www.touchinbass.com

ELECTRO ESSENTIAL SINGLE - dmc update
Andrea Parker Feat. DJ Assault & DJ Godfather 'Freaky Bitches Remixes (Second Installment)'

The original was the first many heard of Andrea Parker's Touchin' Bass imprint: in at the deep end with some prime Detroit-style booty bass graced by the presences of ghetto-tech luminaries DJ Assault and DJ Godfather. Earlier in the year the tune was reactivated with new mixes from Alpha 606, Kero, weedjs and Ed Devane. Now comes the second blast which possibly pushes the boat further out than even this remarkable label has ever ventured previously. The opening name won't be a stranger to TB devotees. It's Adrian 'Eggfooyung' Michna of Miami's Secret Frequency Crew on top squelchy, old skool-boosting form. Veteran electronic marauder and TB stalwart Clatterbox turns in a typically metallic dark electro romp. Next label newcomer and renowned techno-wiz Justin Maxwell turns the tune into a cloudily sinister house mutant using a loop of vocal. Next some pure racket from Montreal's LCEDP going the dustbin-white noise industrial route. Midway a laughing goat exposes himself. The masterstoke comes with the final mix: Warp's Mira Calix teaming up with classically-trained cellist Oliver Coates to take the track into avant garde realms as a freeform electronics dogfight Oliver's cello, which curls out a snatch of 'Planet Rock'. It's minutes before a beat comes in. Fearless stuff, as usual.

last year Andrea climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. Now she's going to tackle the avenue of the Volcanoes in aid of the NSPCC. She deserves your support at http://www.justgiving.com/andreaparker.

Faster Than Sound dates announced: 27th & 28th of June 2008
http://www.fasterthansound.com

Strings of Consciousness remix is to be released in May
http://www.myspace.com/stringsofconsciousness

The Questionnaire - thierry massard puts musicians on the couch... http://the-questionnaire.blogspot.com/:

Onibus Soundtrack
Following the great success of Dead Wedding in 2007, Opera North Projects has commissioned this brand new music and film work from composer and musician Mira Calix (WARP).

For this new live event, Calix has worked in collaboration with the makers of Onibus, an award-winning documentary film tracing a public bus journey across Brazil. Calix's score for clarinet, marimba, cello and laptop, weaves around the film's subjects as they talk, laugh and argue their way across South America.

Part of Opera North's 'Resonance' series of creative residencies and performance, showing as part of the Late Music Festival and the Evolution Festival, in collaboration with Fuse Leeds. Onibus is directed by Augusto Contento.

National Centre for Early Music, York
Saturday 7 June 7:30
£8 (£6 Concessions) Tickets 01904 658338
http://www.latemusicfestival.org

evolution festival
24th may
Leeds town hall
http://www.lumen.org.uk

musicians: oliver coates - cello http://www.olivercoates.com
peter sparks - clarinet http://www.maslink.co.uk/cvs/clarinets/sparks(peter).htm
mark norman - marimba http://www.4-mality.com/players.htm
mira calix
http://www.operanorth.co.uk


Pollinaria - installation
ARTISTS, SCIENTISTS AND ORGANIC FARMING IN THE HEART OF RURAL ABRUZZO, ITALY
Legendary electronic composer Mira Calix will be the first voice of Pollinaria, a new project in Italy's Abruzzo countryside that combines residencies for artists and scientists with organic farming At the edge of the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park sits an ancient land in the scenic Vestini’s territory. This dramatic location is an integral player in the manifold fermenting forces that constitute Pollinaria, a hybrid of residency programs dedicated to interactions between art and science and practices of organic farming that preserve and support local genetic patrimony A countryside farmhouse is the propelling centre of Pollinaria's biodiversity-focused agricultural activities. The historic home will soon become a research space for artists and scientists and a dwelling for everyone who wishes to discover the resources and participate in the experience that is Pollinaria In the evening of Saturday 6th October 2007 Mira Calix will perform a site specific work in the austere environments of the farmhouse, populated for centuries by families of farmers. In the heart of rural Abruzzo, this opening ritual will be marked by music both of the origins and technologically advanced, awakening ancient places and concealed inner landscapes pollinaria rises with mira calix

saturday 6th october 2007 18h00
Pollinaria, Torre delle Valli 65010, Civitella Casanova, Abruzzo
Italy N 42°23’28’’ E 13°54’44’’
Free entrance upon reservation: T + 39 349 4003131 info@pollinaria.org
http://www.pollinaria.org


Dead Wedding in the North - Nottingham, Huddersfield and Gateshead
details on in gig listings

Dead Wedding
5th-7th July
Manchester International Festival
Library Theatre
Manchester

http://www.manchesterinternationalfestival.com
http://www.faultyoptic.co.uk

Faulty Optic and Mira Calix commissioned by Manchester International Festival and Opera North Projects

To mark the 400th anniversary of the invention of opera, and with a nod to Monteverdi's L'Orfeo,
Faulty Optic and Mira Calix re-invent one of the great myths both visually and sonically.
Eurydice dies tragically on her wedding day but Oprheus, her fiancee,bargains to bring her back from the Land of the Dead.
Greedy to gaze upon his bride once more, Orpheus breaks the deal he has made with Pluto, the god of Hades, and eurydice is lost forever.
If he remarries Eurydice underground, all will be fine; they will be together for eternity. But she has more pressing
tasks as she desperately tries to wash something terrible away. Slowly her faltering memories start to corrode
as the ferryman churns up the filty waters sending ripples throughut the whole of the underworld.


Elephant and Castle
20th and 21st June
6othAldeburgh Festival
Snape Maltings
Suffolk

http://www.aldeburgh.co.uk

Elephant And Castle Directed by Tim Hopkins, Music by Mira Calix and Tansy Davies, Libretto by Blake Morrison

Gretel: you never told me it would be scary. who's that staring us from the marsh?
Hansel: no one's staring. and it's not a marsh. we're in the city now. we're in reality, not a dream.

The Elephant and Castle Shopping centre and Snape Maltings Concert Hall were both opened in an era of hope 40 years ago, and are now being transformed to face the future. Inspired by the imminent demolition of the shopping centre, and its echo in the current redevelopment as Snape, the opera is about architecture and aspiration, urban legends and primal myths, past and future, work and play, children and parents

http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2091944,00.htmlr


Mira Calix Live at Ether Festival
10th March
Purcell Rooms
London
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/festivals-series/ether

Mira Calix takes to the stage at the Purcell Rooms to do a special show celebrating the release of her new studio album
"eyes set ... against the sun”.
Mira will be accompanied by cellist Oliver Coates and viola player Xandi van Dijk as well as co-conspirator in the ensemble group
- Alexander’s Annexe; David Sheppard.
The foursome will take elements from the recently released album and rework them for this performance at Ether.

Oliver Coates attained the highest degree result in the Royal Academy of Music’s history. He maintains a busy schedule of solo recitals and concertos in Europe and Japan, at the same time making recordings of old and new music. He has worked with composers such as Magnus Lindberg and Sofia Gubaidulina, and has had works written for him by many more, including Alicia Grant, Elena Firs ova, Stèphane Altier and Matt Rogers. He attained an MPhil with distinction from Oxford, and from there he helped set up the new music ensemble RADIUS,
which performs at the Wigmore Hall on April 20th.

Xandi van Dijk (viola) is a founding member of the Cape Town-based Sontonga Quartet, who have been at the forefront of the contemporary music scene in South Africa. With them, he has premièred over thirty South African works, worked with composers Kevin Volans, Terry Riley and Osvaldo Golijov, and collaborated with artists such as William Kentridge, bow-player Madosini and rock singer Karen Zoid. He has performed in Central Park and at the Lincoln Centre, at the Barbican, the Centre Pompidou, and at various arts festivals such as Dokumenta 11 (Kassel), the Berliner Festspiele and Festival RomaEuropa, Xandi also conducts from time to time, and has recently conducted Philip Miller’s score to the Philip Noyce film Catch a Fire (2006).
www.olivercoates.com

Gavin Bryars curates the Sonnets Project, a unique event jointly
commissioned by Opera North Projects and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

In the first half of this concert, individual sonnets are set by guest composers, including Romanian-born violinist Alexander Balanescu, Antony Hegarty (Antony and the Johnsons), Mira Calix and American singer/songwriter Natalie Merchant.

The second half of the concert will see the premiere of Gavin Bryars's own new work Nothing Like the Sun, composed for the Sonnets Project.
In this new work for eight musicians and three voices, Gavin Bryars's music flows through and around a personal selection of
Shakespeare's sonnets.
The piece is accompanied by a specially commissioned film and is musically directed by James Holmes.

Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Saturday 24 and Sunday 25th February 7:30
£20 and £15
Tickets 0870 609 1110
www.rsc.org.uk/newsandevents/events/3568.aspx

Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham
Saturday 3 March 8:00
£15/£12
Tickets 0115 846 7777
www.lakesidearts.org.uk/

The Sage, Gateshead
Tuesday 13 March 8:00
£16 / £13 / £7
Tickets 0191 443 4661
www.thesagegateshead.org

Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester
Thursday 15 March 7:30
£13 and £9 (Concessions available)
Tickets 0161 907 5555
www.rncm.ac.uk

The Venue, Leeds College of Music
Saturday 17 March 7:30
£14 (Concessions £12)
Tickets 0113 222 3400
www.lcm.ac.uk/concert-season/





6 November 06
Alexander’s Annexe debut LP
Push Door To Exit
Wap 152 CD



Alexander's Annexe is an ensemble which comprises of three distinct artists Mira Calix, David Sheppard and Sarah Nicolls. The group takes its starting point from the grandest, most familiar instrument in the classical lexicon, and then proceeds to overturn every preconception you might have had about what piano music actually means. Their music, performed live, and of which Push Door To Exit (recorded live) is the first release, is needless to say, extremely beautiful, in a very unusual, mysterious, unexpected Mira Calix kind of way and is markedly different to anything you will have heard before. Yet it's also about methodology as much as it is the about end result; all three artists who met while on tour with the London Sinfonietta, have different but complementary backgrounds, and have discovered entirely new ways of working. Sarah was the principal pianist at the Warp Works and 20th Century Masters concert at Parco Della Musica in Rome in 2004, while David helped with the arrangement and performance of Mira’s now legendary insect piece “Nunu”. Despite their very different musical training they immediately gelled, and inspired by the Sinfonietta project, they discussed their desired ambition to create new pieces using instruments with electronics from scratch. Alexander’s Annexe was formed and the trio set out to compose new works.

Push Door To Exit was initially commissioned by the Ravello Festival, which is Italy’s oldest festival with strong links to Wagner, taking place on a precipice outdoor stage, that totters over the Amalfi coast. Push Door to Exit only consists of the sounds generated from one instrument, even though it may not sound like a piano piece at all. Its conception was deadly simple; all three artists were given residency time by one of the leaders in contemporary classical music; Aldeburgh Productions , founded by composer Benjamin Britten , to work on a new piece that fused instruments with electronics. This was the trio’s first piece as an ensemble, and have since gone on to write many more and tour. However, musing on their first collaboration and looking for a starting point, Sarah, David and Mira decided to push the piano as an instrument, interpreting it in their natural musical languages.

http://www.alexandersannexe.com
http://www.myspace.com/alexandersannexe