Richard Barrett (electronics) Milana Zarić (acoustic and electric harps, electronics, voice)
Richard Barrett - pektis (vocalising harpist) Richard Barrett & Milana Zarić - restless horizon (electric harp & electronics) Milana Zarić - ignis (harp and fixed media) Richard Barrett - hylozoon (electronics) Richard Barrett & Milana Zarić - grottesche (acoustic & electric harps & electronics)
At the centre of this programme is the idea of extending an ancient instrument into new territories. The title of Richard Barrett's pektis invokes the ancient Greek harp, with the player singing a fragmentary text by Sappho. The two collaborative compositions by Milana Zarić and Richard Barrett add electric harp and live processing to expand and multiply the instrument further. Grottesche invokes a tradition of paintings based on symmetrical configurations of human-organic-architectural hybrid images, originating in the Roman empire and flowering in the Renaissance, with references to 16th century music. These are complemented by Milana Zarić’s own electric harp piece ignis and Richard Barrett's solo piece hylozoon for his own keyboard/computer instrument.
Richard Barrett (Swansea, 1959) is internationally active as composer and performer, teaches at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague and is Professor of Creative Music Research at the University of Leiden. His work encompasses a range from free improvisation to intricately-notated scores, and from acoustic chamber music to innovative uses of digital technology. Current projects include a major new cycle of works for the ELISION Ensemble, with whom Richard Barrett has been working regularly since 1990, for the Fonema Consort, Musikfabrik and Soundinitiative. Ongoing performative collaborations include with Paul Obermayer (in FURT), Evan Parker, and several other improvising ensembles such as SKEIN (with Achim Kaufmann, Frank Gratkowski, Wilbert de Joode and others) and Colophony (with Jon Rose and Meinrad Kneer). Richard Barrett’s principal composition teacher was Peter Wiegold. His work as composer and performer is documented on over forty CDs, including seven discs devoted to his compositions and nine by FURT. He received his PhD from the University of Leeds in 2018. His books Music of Possibility (2019) and Transforming Moments (2023) are published by Vision Edition.
Milana Zarić combines orchestral and ensemble work with solo performance, connecting the classical idiom to contemporary sensibility and new technologies. As curator and performer in collaborative projects, she aims to create new bridges and challenge boundaries between the traditional roles of composer, performer and improviser. She has been principal harpist at the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra since 2005, performing regularly under top international conductors and soloists. She has regularly performed in a variety of chamber ensembles, such as Atlas Ensemble in Amsterdam, Ensemble Metamorphosis in Belgrade, Žebeljan Ensemble. She has premiered over 30 works for solo and ensemble works since 2010. She is also the principal harpist of No Borders Orchestra (NBO), a symphony orchestra consisting of musicians from all the republics of ex-Yugoslavia. From 2009 to 2011 Milana was researching contemporary music for harp and improvisation at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Upon her return to Belgrade, she co-founded the contemporary music collective and ensemble Studio 6, which quickly became a prominent new music group receiving regular support from the Ministry of Culture of Serbia as well as many other international foundations. Apart from her involvement in contemporary composed music, she is active in free improvisation, working with such creative musicians as Frances-Marie Uitti, Elisabeth Harnik, Biliana Vouchkova, Agusti Fernandez, Chris Cutler, Paul Pignon, Annie Gosfield, Butch Morris, Rhodri Davies, Yedo Gibson, Anne la Berge, Zsolt Sőrés, Peter van Bergen, Peter Evans and Evan Parker. Milana holds degrees from the University of Arts in Belgrade (Bachelor studies in 2000); Trinity College of Music, London (Postgraduate Advanced Diploma in 2002, with Gabriella dall’Olio, Imogen Barford and Sioned Williams); and Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, Netherlands with Ernestine Stoop (Master of Music in 2011).
Milana and Richard have been performing together internationally since 2013, either as a duet or with various musicians and ensembles across Europe, in the US and Australia. They have held masterclasses and lecture/recitals at music conservatoires and universities in Minneapolis (University of Minnesota), Los Angeles (CalArts), Birmingham (Conservatoire), Buffalo (US), London (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Leeds, RNCM (Manchester), Budapest and Singapore. They were both involved in working within Collective and Ensemble Studio 6 for a number of years, curating and producing many programs together and several international tours. They teach together at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, where they are based. Their class, entitled Collaborative Music Creation, gathers students of diverse musical backgrounds who work on strategies of collective composition and improvisation, which is indicative of their own creative work as a duo. They combine detailed composition with free improvisation, electric and acoustic instruments and have co/created an album of original music, released on their own digital label STRANGE STRINGS: https://milanazaririchardbarrett.bandcamp.com/album/mirage
