Role

:

Composer Performer

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

June 9, 1952 in New York City, NY

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Film

 

Shelley Hirsch is a renowned American vocalist, composer, and performance artist who has made significant contributions to the world of contemporary classical music. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1952, Hirsch grew up in a family that valued music and the arts. Her father was a jazz musician, and her mother was a painter, and they encouraged her to explore her creative interests from a young age. Hirsch began her musical career as a jazz singer, performing in clubs and cafes in New York City in the 1970s. However, she soon became interested in experimental music and began to explore new forms of vocal expression. She studied with the composer and performer Meredith Monk, who had a significant influence on her work, and began to develop her own unique style of vocal improvisation. In the 1980s, Hirsch became a prominent figure in the downtown New York music scene, collaborating with a wide range of musicians and artists. She performed with the experimental rock band The Residents, the avant-garde composer John Zorn, and the electronic musician Ikue Mori, among others. She also began to develop her own solo performances, which combined elements of music, theater, and performance art. One of Hirsch's most significant works from this period is the multimedia performance piece "O Little Town of East New York," which she created in collaboration with the composer David Weinstein. The piece explored the history and culture of Hirsch's hometown of East New York, using music, video, and spoken word to create a powerful and evocative portrait of the neighborhood. In the 1990s, Hirsch continued to push the boundaries of vocal performance, incorporating elements of electronic music, improvisation, and sound collage into her work. She released several albums of her own music, including "States," which featured collaborations with a number of prominent musicians, including the guitarist Marc Ribot and the saxophonist John Zorn. Hirsch also continued to collaborate with other artists, working with the choreographer Bill T. Jones on the dance piece "Still/Here" and with the filmmaker Martin Scorsese on the documentary "The Blues." She also performed in a number of major festivals and venues around the world, including the Berlin Jazz Festival, the Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Lincoln Center in New York City. In recent years, Hirsch has continued to explore new forms of vocal expression, incorporating elements of spoken word, storytelling, and theater into her performances. She has also become increasingly interested in the use of technology in music, experimenting with live looping and other electronic techniques. Throughout her career, Hirsch has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the world of contemporary music. She has been awarded grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts, and has been recognized by organizations such as the American Music Center and the International Society for Contemporary Music. Despite her many achievements, Hirsch remains committed to pushing the boundaries of vocal performance and exploring new forms of artistic expression. She continues to perform and record music, and her work remains an inspiration to musicians and artists around the world.

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