Mira Calix
Mira Calix composes and produces music and is signed to Warp Records on which she has released five albums, the most recent being 3 commissions: the elephant in the room - the sequel to 2005’s 3 commissions LP. She began her musical journey as a DJ, performing at club nights, and as support on several tours, playing a variety of slots with a diverse selection of artists from Radiohead to Boards of Canada. Her work fuses electronics, organic matter and classical instruments in a unique way. 
Early in 2004, Mira was commissioned to write a site-specific piece of music for an installation in the conservatory of the Barbican in London for the re-opening of the art gallery. In September of that year, this piece was released along with Nunu, a collaboration with the London Sinfonietta, and some willing insects (3 commissions LP). Nunu premiered at The Royal Festival Hall and has subsequently toured worldwide. Her relationship with the London Sinfonietta has continued. In 2008 she collaborated with them and the Ugandan Dance Academy, writing two new pieces for the group as well as Ort-Oard, a short to commemorate the Sinfonietta’s 40th Birthday.
In 2005, Mira Calix formed a new ensemble called Alexander’s Annexe with pianist Sarah Nicholls and David Sheppard, whose live debut was at the Ravello Festival. The ensemble released an EP on Warp Record, Push Door To Exit in late 2006.
As well as performing and releasing her own material, she has been commissioned to write many installation pieces, compositions and film soundtracks, often in collaboration with other artists. She regularly performs and collaborates with cellist Oliver Coates, most recently on Natures, an installation piece with video artist Quayola commissioned by the Faster Than Sound Festival.
In 2007 she completed a very modern opera, Elephant And Castle, in partnership with composer Tansy Davies, with a libretto by Blake Morrison and directed by Tim Hopkins for the Aldeburgh Festival. Later that year, Opera North commissioned her to compose the soundtrack to renowned puppeteers Faulty Optic’s take on Monteverdi’s Orpheus for the Manchester International Festival. This theatrical production, Dead Wedding, was later performed at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Sage, and the Barbican.
She has recently completed a new work inspired by Allegri’s Misere for Streetwise Opera, supported by funding from the PRS Foundation. The installation, My Secret Heart, which involves a purpose built structure, film by Flat-e, a 100 strong choir and surround sound design by David Sheppard, had a live premiere at the Southbank Centre in December 2008. It won the 2009 Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Award for Audience Development and will continue to tour worldwide during the course of 2009.
Here's what Mira has been listening to...
Mothlite: The Flax of Reverie (Southern)
This album is the most recent project by the talented Daniel O’Sullivan, this time collaborating with the Finnish musician Antti Uusimaki. O’Sullivan has collaborated and performed with many – including Mike Patton, David Tibet, Guapo and my favourite of the lot – Sunn O))). This album is as close to pop as he’s got, with multi-layered vocals and more conventional song structure. It is full of high drama, a smidge of angst and more than a touch of Talk Talk about it. It’s at times gentle, even delicate, and at others the sheer force of sound bursts through and suffocates the room. Loud or soft, it is always well crafted and lushly produced.
Saariaho: Notes On Light; Orion; Mirage (Ondine)
This woman never ceases to amaze and delight me. The 3 pieces on this album are all so considered, refined in every detail. The first is a cello concerto, then an orchestral piece and the third for cello, voice and orchestra. Her music is vivid, full of imagery of the elements. Saariaho knows how to play with texture - my favourite are those bow crushing noises. Her work is unique; she explores the academic, the elasticity of the player and the instrument, but she does it with such colour and ingenuity that all I hear is beauty.
Recovery/Discovery: 40 years of Surround Electronic Music in the UK (Sound and Music)
I have to declare a conflict of interest here, as I have a track on this album. I tend to ignore that one, so perhaps you can excuse the conflict and focus on the other 3 outstanding tracks and ignore the "me" with me. The first is Jonathan Harvey’s Mortuos Plango Vivos Voco which begins as if 40 churches have collapsed at your feet while a small boy haunts you. The joy of this release is that you can finally own this in its original surround sound format or flip it over and listen to it in stereo. I have a sentimental attachment to this piece – it was the last thing played at the first Faster Than Sound Festival, and every time I hear it, I feel like I’m standing in a field at midnight. It’s a magical piece with harmonies that intrigue whilst filling your heart up. The Birtwhistle piece is Chronometer, which sounds like a grand bewitching beast gliding up a river bank. The last piece, Javier Alvarez’s Temazacal, is all new to me and a complete wonder. There are moments of pure techno and somehow he’s managed to make maracas sound like the most attractive instrument ever - quite a feat in my book!