Sophie Lacaze
(born in Lourdes, France, 1963), composer. She received the Composition Prize of the Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. Afterwards, she studied with Franco Donatoni and Ennio Morricone at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana di Siena (Italy) and attended Pierre Boulez's courses in College de France. She also engaged in music theatre with Georges Aperghis at the Centre Acanthes. Her compositions, which range from works for solo instruments to chamber and orchestral music, with also two chamber operas and works with tape, are regularly performed in more than 20 countries and appear on several CDs, such as "Souffles" (Editions de l'Astronome, France, 2012 – works for winds and narrator, Alain Carre soloist) and “Sophie Lacaze – Works with flutes” (SOLAL, Germany, 2009 – with Pierre-Yves Artaud as the soloist). In 2012, MEZZO TV broadcast a short documentary film “Sophie Lacaze, composer” (Mezzo Compo series), and French magazine Traversieres published an article about her music for flute (n.104, Oct 2012). Unsubdued but attentive to musical trends and schools, Sophie Lacaze has developed an original aesthetic that takes into account the current research on sound while looking to restore music to its primary functions, ie. ritual, incantation, dance, and its links with nature.
Selected works: Voyelles, for flute, 1993; Broken Words, for flute and string trio, 2000; Histoire sans paroles, for violin, cello and piano, 2002; Het Lam Gods, for string quartet, 2005; Dreaming, chamber opera for actor, two singers, didgeridoo, flute, cello and percussion instruments, 2005, rev. 2010; L’espace et la flute – variations sur des textes de Jean Tardieu, for narrator and flute ensemble, 2009; Il pleut des voix de femmes, for women’s choir, 2010; En Quête, for narrator, mezzo-soprano, alt-saxophone and piano, 2012; Apres avoir contemple la lune, for orchestra, 2012; Ukiyo-e, for Martenot waves and flute ensemble, 2013.
Recordings: Musiques françaises du XXe siècle, REM (France), 1996; En Quête, Galun Records (France – Australia), 2000, monographic CD; Aperto (Re)Forms, Gaudeamus (Roumania), 2000; Plurielles, Maguelone (France), 2004; Cosmogonies, Galun Records (France – Australia), 2005; Works with flutes, SOLAL (Germany), 2008, monographic CD;
Encounters / Rencontre, AF Adelaide (Australia), 2012; Souffles, Les Editions de l'Astronome (France), 2012, monographic CD.
Awards: 2009, the Grand Prix Lyceen des Compositeurs (2009) for "Les quatre Eléments", concerto for flute, children choir and small percussion instruments; 2010, the Claude Arrieu Prize of the SACEM for her body of work; 2012, laureate of the association Beaumarchais – SACD.
Contact: www.sophielacaze.com
Susanna Lindeborg
(born in 1952 Halmstad, resident Skipås, Sweden) is a jazz pianist, keyboard player and composer. She started to play the piano at the age of 5. After receiving a classical education Lindeborg moved to Gothenburg and started her education at The Music Conservatory in Gothenburg (now The Academy of Music and Drama). Here, she came in contact with improvised jazz music, which became an important source of inspiration for her. Lindeborg mixes her plying the piano with electronic instruments. Something which has been significant for Mwendo Dawa, which she has led together with saxophone player Ove Johansson since the start 1974. She joined the female jazz group Salamander (1979). From 1974 -1994 she taught improvisation in piano and vocals at Academy of Music and Drama. Lindeborg's first solo CD was released 1989 and contained a lot of her own music. The same year she started the record label LJ Records together with Ove Johansson, presenting her own and other Scandinavian musician's music. Mwendo Dawa has toured in 25 countries in Europe, North and South America playing at festivals such as; Montreux, Northsea , Montreal, with radio and TV broadcastings in many countries. In recent they have been playing in USA and Canada regularly. Lindeborg writes a lot of the music for the group. Salamander also aroused a lot of attention in Europe and in USA. Today she also plays in the Lindeborg/Johansson Duo as well as solo performances with piano improvisation with electro acoustical backgrounds. Lately she has been touring with the trio Natural Artefacts with performances in the world of improvised music as well as the world of electro acoustic music. Lindeborg is a member of the board of the Swedish Jazz Academy and she has sat in reference groups of the The Swedish Arts Grants Committee. She writes in the publication Swedish Jazz.
Selecetd works: Annasus, Improvement, Technogirl, Walking Puase, Fast Trip.
Recordings: With Mwendo Dawa: Basic Lines, SLP2634; Live at Montreux Jazzfestival, DRLP28; Breathing Cluster LJCD5217; Live at Fascing, LJCD5244; With Lindeborg/Johansson Duo: Thoughtful World LJCD5253.
Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Virginia Maestro Díaz
(born in 1982 in Linares, Jaén, Spain). Singer and songwriter. After winning OT and earning a contract with Sony BMG, she became part of the musical project Labuat (2009). A second album was made. Carta de Otoño, the only song composed solely by her, was released as the third and last single in October 2009. In March 2010, during an interview for OperacionTriunfo.com, Maestro announced that, due to time conflicts, the Pinker Tones would not produce the new album, leaving her as the only initial member of the band working on the second album, entitled Dulce Hogar (Sweet Home). The album includes her own compositions, in both Spanish and English.
Selected works: Albums: Labuat 2009; Dulce Hogar 2011; Night & Day 2013.
Awards: She is the winner of Operación Triunfo 2008, a Spanish version of Star Academy; Best National Artist of Shangay Awards 2011, Best lead singer of ABC Punto Radio, 2012.
Contact: www.virginialabuat.com
