…about my basics and generally…
Annette Giesriegl was born 1966 in Innsbruck, Austria and lives since 1990 in Graz, Austria. She is a vocalist who crosses boundaries, whose education started in jazz music. She studied jazz singing at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz with American vocalists Mark Murphy, Jay Clayton, Sheila Jordan and Andy Bey, during which time she placed particular emphasis on the study of improvisation, finished in 1997.
She has spent years exploring the sonic range and potential of the voice and finds musical expression for the explorations in free improvisation.
…about my interests in different vocal techniques…
She has been engaged in studies of overtone singing, throat singing and the work of vocalists such as Meredith Monk, Bobby Mc Ferrin and Sainkho Namtchylak, and has taken part in workshops with the French Bassist Joelle Leandre, Eddie Prevost from AMN and the vocalist Maggie Nichols and spent intense times in London studying Indian music with an emphasis on Indian vocal techniques.
…about London…
She performs since over 15 years regularly in the free music scene in London and gigs with musicians such as Eddie Prevost, John Edwards, Veryan Weston, Steve Beresford, Alison Blunt, David Leahy, Rowland Sutherland and the radical free improvisation band: Primal Fruitcake.
…about electronics and my voice…
She also uses electronics since the early 1990ies to heighten the expansion and range of vocal sound in her free improvisations.
…about going to the extrem…
Her work with Mia Zabelka, the extreme-violinist from Vienna, on a project called “ZOOM”. Giesriegl does not “sing” a single tone on these recordings, but rather explores the sound perspectives of her “Stimmlos – Stimme” (“soundless – voice”) and of her “soundful – voice”. She is an explorer of vocal sound and expands her sonic spectrum using of electronics.
…about Jay Clayton and me…
She furthermore developed the concert programme “Two Voices” together with Jay Clayton (NY) – who is one of the most important influences of Giesriegl – where the two singers create an entire “Free Jazz Vocal Ensemble” using electronic effects.
…about jazz…
Her one and – so far – only JazzCD: Hear I Am, Giesriegl produced in 2003 with her Band Annett4tett: Stefan Heckel on Piano, Karl Sayer on Double Bass and Ingrid Oberkanins on Percussion
…about exploration of more singing styles…
One of her projects is the duet Vocal Chordestra with the austrian percussionist and drummer Franz Schmuck, best known for his work with the ensemble “Broadlahn”. On the CD “Free Ethno!” (EX 766-2), released in 2006, Giesriegl and Schmuck explore ethnic singing styles from all over the world, interweaving them with vocal sounds, electronics and percussion.
…about being featured…
A CD with instant compositions was released in 2008 with the Vienna Improvisers String Trio (VIST AG) featuring Giesriegl on voice and electronics. In 2008 Giesriegl also had the joy to perform with Pierre Dorge´s New Jungle Orchestra (DK) with Performances in Kopenhagen and Vienna.
…about being contemporary …
Giesriegl’s musical boundaries also extend into the realms of contemporary music, as can be seen in her work with the tone poet Gerhard Rühm (Cologne/Vienna).
…about Indian music…
2008 and 2009 Giesriegl was also invited to work with classical indian musicians from the Bhavan Center London (UK), where they performed together with her and the austrian musicians Stefan Heckel and Franz Schmuck compositions by Heckel, Schmuck and herself.
…about London again…
Her long termed collaboration with UK composer Veryan Weston led 2010 to a project called: Vociferous Choir, performing Westons´s composition Tessellations II for 9 singers, with performances in Austria and the UK and the piece was recorded by BBC London and released as a CD by EMANEM 2011.
…about singing and the Indian Harmonium…
2011- 2014 Giesriegl also takes part in a fusion project with fantastic austrian composer Denovaire, where she performes in a 14 musicians orchestra the piece “CHEST” as the singer and the Indian harmonium player. She learned to play the Indian Harmonium during her studies of Indian classical Music in 2003 in London and uses/used it in various settings like with Cordula Boesze on Theremin at the Interpenetration Festival in Graz 2009, or with the New Jungle Orchestra 2008.
…about all the beloved Improvisers Orchestras…
Over the years Giesriegl took and takes part in the London Improvisers Orchestra, The Vienna Improvisers Orchestra, The GIS Orchestra (A), The STICRI Orchestra – collaboration with musicians from Croatia – and she is one founder and organiser of the Styrian Improvisers Orchestra, which exists since April 2012 and performs regularly in Graz. Giesriegl developed her skills of conducting Improvisers Orchestras since many years.
…about the beloved Gathering…
Inspired by Maggie Nichols the “Gathering” in London, Giesriegl founded in 2011 together with german dancer Monika Schabus a Gathering in Austria near Graz, where musicians and dancers take part in a monthly evening experiencing the magic of Free Improvisation.
…about now…
Her latest projects are TRIO REDOX with Katharina Klement (p), Kaja Farszky (marimba) – CD released in 2017 (CS459); the BARCODE QUARTET with Elisabeth Harnik (p), Alison Blunt (v), Josef Klammer (dr) – CD released 2012 (SLAMCD288), with a concert tour in 2013 in Australia and New Zealand ( Soundout Festival 2013) and Brasil in 2015, CD released on CDBaby: (Live in Brasil); and has released the CD “puzzling” in May 2014 at AUT records, which presents the work of her Duo Project with Claudia Cervenca (A) called PATCHWORK VOICES.
…about association…
Since 2012 Giesriegl is a member of the leading team of V:NM Graz, Association for promotion and dissemination of New Music, based in Graz, organising a festival every second year: www.vnm.mur.at
…about the Credits…
New Jungle Orchestra (DK), Veryan Weston (UK), Lol Coxhill (UK), Maggie Nichols (UK), Elisabeth Harnik (A), Denovaire (A), Alison Blunt (UK), Jay Clayton (US), John Edwards (UK), Mark Sanders (UK), Manon Liu Winter (A), Franz Schmuck (A), Franz Hautzinger (A), Simon Nabatov (D), Elisabeth Flunger (L/A), Dena Derose (US/A), Mat Wilson (US), Mads Vinding (DK)Armin Pokorn (A), Steve Beresford (UK), Stefan Heckel (A), Mia Zabelka (A), Marcio Mathos (UK), Eddie Prevost (UK), Rowland Sutherland (UK), Iris Ederer (UK/A), Tony Marsh (UK), Jon Rose (OZ), Alexis Porfiriadis (GR), Michael Fischer (A), David Leahy (UK), Clementine Gasser (A), Emre Kartari (TK), Ewald Oberleitner (A), Karl Sayer (A), Ingrid Oberkanins (A), Hamid Drake (US), Tim Daisy (US), Gerhard Rühm (D/A), Bill Noertker (US), David Boyce (US), David Mihaly (US), Claudia Cervenca (A), Jaap Blonk (NL), Josef Klammer (A), Jean Marc Foussat (FR), Soizic Lebrat (FR), Matilda Rolfsson (N), Irene Kepl (A), London Improvisers Orchestra (UK), Vienna Improvisers Orchestra (A), Styrian Improvisers Orchestra (A), GIS Orchestra Wels (A), and many more wonderful and amazing musicians….