|
|
|
|
|
|
Profile Biography LL was born in Vienna, Austria, and studied at the Vienna Music University. Upon completing his studies there, he spent 1994-1996 as a visiting scholar at the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics at Stanford University. Since 1998, he has lived in New York City. Oblivious to categorizations such as "classical", "pop", etc., his main interests include areas such as cultural exchange, polyrhythms/polytempo structures, and non-tempered tunings, and his music ranges from the through-composed to the free-improvised. As a composer, he has been commissioned by the Vienna Festwochen, Ensemble Modern, Kronos Quartet, American Composers Forum, New York University, ORF Austrian Broadcasting Company, Radio France, and many others. His compositions have been performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, London Sinfonietta, San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, Ensemble "die reihe", and others at major festivals worldwide. He has also composed for dance, film, and installation. In June 2004, Tzadik Records released the CD "Mystery System", featuring five of Lukas Ligeti's compositions for chamber ensemble, interpreted by the Amadinda Percussion Group, the world-class percussion ensemble from Hungary; Ethel, New York's über-hip new string quartet; the great American contemporary music pianist Kathleen Supové; and the French ensemble Procédé Rodesco-Letort. As a drummer, he has played and/or recorded with artists such as Henry Kaiser, Raoul Björkenheim, Michael Manring, Gianni Gebbia, Daniel Carter, Benoît Delbecq, John Tchicai, Pyrolator Kurt Dahlke, Elliott Sharp, Jim O'Rourke, Robert Dick, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Rupert Huber, Ned Rothenberg, etc., and performs solo concerts on electronic percussion. He is also highly active in cultural exchange. In 1994, commissioned by the Goethe Institute, he conducted a workshop in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, which led to the founding of the experimental, intercultural group Beta Foly, many more trips to Abidjan, much touring in Europe, and the release of his first CD as a bandleader, "Lukas Ligeti & Beta Foly" on Intuition Music in 1997. He has also worked on a project involving the Batonka people of the Lake Kariba area, performing in Zimbabwe, Moçambique, and South Africa; collaborated with Nubian musicians in Egypt, including a joint concert at the Cairo Opera; composed a piece for musicians of different Caribbean cultures which premiered in Miami Beach; and, since 2000, has collaborated with Maï Lingani, a singer from Burkina Faso. Their newest joint project, "Burkina Electric", was started in 2004 and combines the traditional music of that country with dance-oriented electronica. Since 2003, he has curated the weekly experimental music series "Freezone NY" with guitarist Ty Cumbie. |