FOR_VOICE_VERSION_II_2023 for alto voice and live electronics

Konstantinos Baras, a Greek composer with a passion for complex and saturated sound, embarked on his musical journey following a diagnosis of HanDL syndrome at the age of 18. Baras is recognized for creating works that convey intense emotions and delve into the complexities of trauma, employing visceral, chaotic sounds marked by a continuous energy flow and aggressive gestures. 

Utilizing digital signal processing, noise, distortion and live interactivity, Baras extends the timbral profile of traditional instruments and seamlessly blends disjunct materials into unified structures. With interest in site-specificity and interdisciplinary collaboration, he works often with dancers and movement artists and engages creatively with space, lights, and visual effects. 

His continued entanglement with black metal and techno contributes to an arrestingly distinctive sound palette, exploring the potential of repetition and bodily mechanics to intensify a sound’s impact on the listener. Toward that aim, Baras organizes his compositions through various processes of iteration and fragmented circularity, manipulating duration and density, often utilizing repetitive material but subtly altering it with every reappearance. The end result is driving, gripping, and grave.

His music has been performed and commissioned by Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain Moscow Contemporary Ensemble (MCME), Vertixe Sonora Ensemble,Ensemble Multilaterale, among other, with performances in festivals and conferences such as, IRCAM ManiFeste, MIXTUR, Darmstadt, reMusik, ilSuono, Ticino Musica, among others.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at Northwestern University, Baras holds Masters degree from Boston University, and Bachelors degree Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Born in 1986 in Thessaloniki, Greece the actress-soprano Falcon Niki Lada is a holder of a BA in English Language and Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,a  Diploma in Classical Singing and Opera Studies and a Diploma in Opera, Drama and Contemporary Dance from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki, an MA in Classical Singing and Opera Performance from Francesco Morlacchi Conservatory of Music of Perugia under the guidance of M.G.Pittavini and a Master di II Livello in Vocal Music and Musical Theatre of the 20th century and contemporary one under the guidance of Alda Caiello. In 2017 and 2022, she is chosen by IDEA International Divertimento Ensemble Academy for the call for young performers, annual singing course, conducted by Alda Caiello. She has taken part in masterclasses and summer music academies with various artists of international fame like C. Studer, K. Hartgrove, G. Vagianos, S. Theodoridou, G. Hatzinikos and others, while she frequented lessons at the National Opera of Paris with Françoise Ferrand , the Thibaud Conservatory of Bordeaux with Charon Coste Jacques , the Royal Danish Academy of Music with Asa Bäverstam, Susanna Eken, Kirsten Buhl Møller and at the Conservatory of Toulouse.
 She is mainly performing XX and XXI century repertoire and many world premieres written for her voice as a soloist. Her repertoire both in opera and in chamber music includes among others works of Menotti, Barber, Poulenc, Bernstein, Casella, Berio, Berberian, Cage, Donatoni, Scelsi, Part, Vasks, Kagel, Aperghis, Zorn, Bedrossian, Lanza, Marco di Bari, Spyrou, Segglias. She has collaborated with musicians, composers, sound artists, directors, stage directors, ensembles and artistic collectives of the contemporary and experimental scene such as the Divertimento Ensemble, Suono Giallo Ensemble, Ergon Ensemble, Icarus VS Muzak ensemble, Opificio Sonoro, Franck Bedrossian, Marco di Bari, Nicolas Tzortzis, Vito Palumbo, Rosalba Quindici, Zesses Segglias, Alexandros Spyrou, Stefano Alessandretti, Marco Bellussi, Anastasia Koumidou, Viktoriia Vitrenko, Nestor Bayona, Alessia Damiani, Alessandro Fiordelmondo, Marco Momi, Cristiana Palandri, Rosario Grieco, Andrea Cappelleri. She is performing in venues, residencies, academies and festivals as Greek National Opera, Imola International Music Festival, DAMSLab, Teatro Alighieri di Ravenna, the Fabbrica del Vapore di Milano, Teatro Litta di Milano, Teatro degli Illuminati, Teatro Arrigoni, Teatro Pavone, Teatro Cesare Caporali, Rondò in Monferrato, Tempo Reale Festival-Unlocked Sound, Delian Academy, Il Suono Contemporary Music Week, Festival Orizzonti, Dimitria Festival of Thessaloniki, Modern and Contemporary Music Festival of Perugia, Festival dei Due Mondi di Spoleto. She has also performed works of the sacred and the baroque repertoire. She has participated in projects and baroque operas as a mime and an actor among others, PanOpera Festival and has worked with associations as the Barocco Europeo and the Teathron Musike. Furthermore, she has taken part in performances some of which with Marina Abramovic, Marianna Andrigo, Aldo Aliprandi, Polyxeni Spiropoulou, Konstantina Kastellou in venues and festivals such as The Serpentine Galleries, the Experimental Centre for the Arts MOMus,  the Biennale of Thessaloniki and others, while she is working closely with performers and video artists, exploring vocal extended techniques and improvisation. In 2018 she creates together with Alessia Damiani the [tis ixu's] Ensemble and together participate in festivals like Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF), Freedom - The New Human Manifesto (Spain), Lacuna Festivals, Artperformingfestival (Naples). In November 2021 their work /dis'tantse/ is published in hard copy book and e-book by Articulate (Denmark) as part of the Pandemic Art 1.0 and makes part of Articulate's virtual gallery.

Handmade (Experimental) (Ambient) Sound (Art)

Velvet Something Superdark is 1/2 of  https://soundcloud.com/snow_omen

FOR_VOICE_VERSION_II_2023 for alto voice and live electronics

BARAS