Yannis Kyriakides
Encyclopedia
Yannis Kyriakides is a composer
of contemporary classical music
, and sound art
. His music explores new forms and hybrids of media, synthesizing disparate sound sources and highlighting the sensorial space of music. He has focused in the majority of his work on ways of combining traditional performance practices with digital media, particularly in the use of live electronics. The relation between music and narrative has been explored in many pieces that utilize text films as a multimedia element.
, Cyprus
and emigrated to the United Kingdom
when he was five years of age. He studied music at the University of York
, and later moved to the Netherlands
to study composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
with composers Louis Andriessen
and Dick Raaijmakers. He currently lives in Amsterdam where he is artistic director of Ensemble MAE, co-founder of the record label UNSOUNDS and composition teacher at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
.
He has been associated with ensembles such as the Asko Ensemble
, musikFabrik
, Ensemble MAE, Icebreaker
, Seattle Chamber Players
, and Ensemble Integrales and musicians such as Andy Moor from the Ex and trumpeter Marco Blaauw
. He also regularly collaborates with visual artists and filmmakers HC Gilje
, Joost Rekveld and Stefanos Tsivopoulos, as well as choreographers Leine & Roebana , Guy & Roni, and theatre maker Paul Koek.
In 2007 he was featured composer at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
and his opera An Ocean of Rain opened the Aldeburgh Festival
in 2008. Prizes have included the Gaudeamus International Composers Award
in 2000 for his conSPIracy cantata, and an honorable mention for the CD 'Wordless' at the Prix Ars Electronica
in 2006. He has written over 80 compositions.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music
Contemporary classical music can be understood as belonging to the period that started in the mid-1970s with the retreat of modernism. However, the term may also be employed in a broader sense to refer to all post-1945 modern musical forms.-Categorization:...
, and sound art
Sound art
Sound art is a diverse group of art practices that considers wide notions of sound, listening and hearing as its predominant focus. There are often distinct relationships forged between the visual and aural domains of art and perception by sound artists....
. His music explores new forms and hybrids of media, synthesizing disparate sound sources and highlighting the sensorial space of music. He has focused in the majority of his work on ways of combining traditional performance practices with digital media, particularly in the use of live electronics. The relation between music and narrative has been explored in many pieces that utilize text films as a multimedia element.
Biography
Yannis Kyriakides was born in LimassolLimassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and emigrated to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
when he was five years of age. He studied music at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
, and later moved to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to study composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
with composers Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen
Louis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
and Dick Raaijmakers. He currently lives in Amsterdam where he is artistic director of Ensemble MAE, co-founder of the record label UNSOUNDS and composition teacher at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague
Royal Conservatory of The Hague
The Royal Conservatory of The Hague is a conservatorium of music, providing higher education in music and dance, it is located in The Hague, Netherlands.-The Conservatory:...
.
He has been associated with ensembles such as the Asko Ensemble
Asko Ensemble
Asko Ensemble is a Dutch chamber orchestra that specializes in contemporary classical music. Formed in 1965 and based in Amsterdam, the group performs traditional concerts along with film music programmes, dance and multimedia projects and modern opera....
, musikFabrik
Musikfabrik
The musikFabrik is an ensemble for contemporary music located in Cologne. Their official name is: musikFabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. .-Overview:...
, Ensemble MAE, Icebreaker
Icebreaker
An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to ice-breaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels .For a ship to be considered an icebreaker, it requires three traits most...
, Seattle Chamber Players
Seattle Chamber Players
The Seattle Chamber Players are a chamber ensemble focused on contemporary music, founded in 1989 in Seattle, Washington, U.S. In January 2004, the group was awarded the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming....
, and Ensemble Integrales and musicians such as Andy Moor from the Ex and trumpeter Marco Blaauw
Marco Blaauw
Marco Blaauw is a Dutch trumpeter.- Biography :Marco Blaauw studied trumpet at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam. He continued studying with Pierre Thibaud and with Markus Stockhausen. He has an international career as a trumpet soloist and is a permanent member of the ensemble musikFabrik...
. He also regularly collaborates with visual artists and filmmakers HC Gilje
HC Gilje
HC Gilje is a Norwegian artist who works with realtime environments, installations, live performance, set design and single channel video....
, Joost Rekveld and Stefanos Tsivopoulos, as well as choreographers Leine & Roebana , Guy & Roni, and theatre maker Paul Koek.
In 2007 he was featured composer at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is held in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It has a repertoire of cutting-edge jazz, orchestral, choral and electroacoustic performances, along with film, dance and music theatre...
and his opera An Ocean of Rain opened the Aldeburgh Festival
Aldeburgh Festival
The Aldeburgh Festival is an English arts festival devoted mainly to classical music. It takes place each June in the Aldeburgh area of Suffolk, centred on the main concert hall at Snape Maltings...
in 2008. Prizes have included the Gaudeamus International Composers Award
Gaudeamus International Composers Award
The Gaudeamus International Composers Award is a European award issued by the Music Center the Netherlands...
in 2000 for his conSPIracy cantata, and an honorable mention for the CD 'Wordless' at the Prix Ars Electronica
Prix Ars Electronica
The Prix Ars Electronica is one of the most important yearly prizes in the field of electronic and interactive art, computer animation, digital culture and music...
in 2006. He has written over 80 compositions.
Selected works
- Memoryscape (2010) ensemble, soundtrack, text video [32'] for musikFabrik
- Disco Debris (2010) interactive sound installation
- Satellites (2009) ensemble and soundtrack [50'] for Seattle Chamber Players
- An Ocean of Rain (2008) opera [85'] with Theatre Cryptic for the Aldeburgh Festival
- The Queen Is the Supreme Power in the Realm (2007) ensemble, live electronics, video [45'] with hc Gilje for musikFabrik/Koln Triennale
- Dreams of the Blind (2005) ensemble, soundtrack, text video [33'] for Ensemble MAE
- Escamotage (2005) music theatre [60'] for FNM Staatsoper Stuttgart
- Wordless (2005) sound installation [50'] for Argos Festival
- Slow Wave Sleep (2004) string quartet, trombone quartet and electronics [45'] for Doelen Quartet and New Trombone Collective/ Gaudeamus Festival
- The Buffer Zone (2004) music theatre [60'] for Festival aan de Werf
- Subliminal: The Lucretian Picnic (2003) ensemble, soundtrack, video [35'] for ASKO ensemble / Festival in de Branding
- Lab Fly Dreams (2003) ensemble, electronics, video [20'] with hc Gilje, Icebreaker Ensemble / Orkest de Volharding/ BBC commission
- Spinoza (2002) music theatre [80'] with Paul Koek, ZT Hollandia
- Scape (2001) ensemble, soundtrack, video [75'] with Isabelle Vigier, Joost Rekveld for Orkest de Volharding
- Strobo (2001) 6 amplified glass panes, stroboscopes, electronics [30']
- a conSPIracy cantata (2000) 2 voices, piano, electronics [45']
- Four Maggots for viola and double bass (1992)
Selected discography
- "Antichamber", Double CD of electroacoustic chamber music (UNSOUNDS, 21U, 2010)
- "Folia" collaboration with guitarist Andy Moor (CD, UNSOUNDS, 19U, 2010)
- "Wordless", 12 sound portraits (CD, UNSOUNDS, 13U, 2006)
- "The Buffer Zone", audio theatre (CD, UNSOUNDS, 11U, 2005)
- "The Thing Like Us", on Spinoza (CD, UNSOUNDS, 09U, 2003)
- "a conSPIracy cantata" (CD, UNSOUNDS, 01U, 2001)
Sources
- Jason van Eyk, Musicworks, Issue 106 spring 2010 - http://www.musicworks.ca
- Andy Beckett, The Spying Game - Guardian Interview - Friday May 31, 2002 http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2002/may/31/artsfeatures
- Rob Young, The Wire, Jan 2006 - Unsound Thinker
- Peter Bruyn, Gonzo, de stem de taal en het muzikale verhaal http://www.gonzocircus.com/1543/yannis-kyriakides-de-stem-de-taal-en-het-muzikale-verhaal
- Frits van der Waa, 'Elektronica toont innerlijke wereld', de Volkskrant, 9 October 2008 http://www.volkskrant.nl/archief_gratis/article1123515.ece/Elektronica_toont_innerlijke_wereld
- Stefano Isidoro Bianchi, Interview in Italian Music Magazine, BLOW UP #143, April 2010 http://www.blowupmagazine.com/prod/blow-up-143-aprile-2010.asp