biography
pianocircus formed in 1989 to play Steve Reich's
Six Pianos, and has since created a repertoire of over one hundred works;
the majority are written specially for the ensemble and include pieces by
Kevin Volans, Graham Fitkin, Brian Eno, Louis Andriessen, Erkki-Sven Tüür,
Terry Riley, Nikki Yeoh and Heiner Goebbels. pianocircus
has released seven CDs with Decca and now has three CDs available on its own
label.
The six pianists - David Appleton, Adam Caird, Kate Halsall, Semra Kurutaç,
Helen Reid and Graham Rix - have a broad range of experience, from traditional
western classical music to jazz, pop and rock, African and Asian traditional
music, improvisation and composition. Between them the members of pianocircus
work in collaboration with film and video makers, theatre and circus performers,
dancers and choreographers, and in a variety of educational settings.
The group performs throughout the UK and internationally, with appearances
at the South Bank Centre, London; Lincoln Center, New York; Huddersfield Contemporary
Music Festival, Edinburgh Festival, Bath International Festival, the Big Chill
Enchanted Garden Festival, the Hong Kong and Singapore Festivals, the Istanbul
Festival, NYYD festival (Estonia), Musica Ficta Festival (Lithuania), the
CREA and 38eme Rugissants Festivals (France), Settembre Musica (Italy) and
in Canada (Banff residency), the USA, Sweden, the Netherlands, Portugal and
Spain.
education
pianocircus has a strong commitment to music education
and has developed a range of new approaches to the teaching of composition
and performance techniques using the latest MIDI and computing technology.
The education programme has included projects at Dartington International
Summer School and a composition and recording project for schools in east
London funded by the Department for Education and Employment, performance
projects for the Vale of Glamorgan Festival, workshops for university students
in Indonesia, a community residency in rural France, a composition and performance
project for music students in Budapest, composition and technology sessions
with adult amateur musicians and workshops for London music colleges.
appearances
pianocircus has made numerous radio and TV appearances including the BBC's National Lottery Show, The Score, What's That Noise?, The Late Show, Radio 3 In Tune, Late Junction, Mixing It, Radio 4 Kaleidoscope, World Service International Recital and Meridian, as well as appearances on Classic FM and numerous stations worldwide. Features on pianocircus have appeared in The Independent, The Guardian, The Observer, Time Out, BBC Music Magazine, The Wire, Scotland on Sunday, Classical Music Magazine and The Piano.
projects
pianocircus's two most recent CDs
are now available - 'Transmission', co-produced by the ensemble, which includes
a selection of the best works written for the ensemble over the past seven
years, and 'Landscapes of the Heart', the soundtrack to an artistic collaboration
with Scarabeus, the aerial theatre company. A collaboration with the Michael
Clarke Dance Company is an important feature of the group's artistic work
in 2004 and 2005.
residency
pianocircus has been Associate Ensemble at Brunel
University since 2004.
In 1997 the company received a National Lottery capital award for the purchase of a portable studio. Thanks are also due to the PRS Foundation who awarded the ensemble grants in 2001 and 2002 in recognition of their contribution to new music in the UK.
In 1997 the ensemble was nominated for the Prudential Award for the Arts.
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