Tea + a Chat with Moira Smiley

Moira Smiley chats to us about underground former water reservoirs, the virtuosity of the voice and tips us off about three must-listen artists ahead of her Tea + a Gig show coming up at The Old Church this Tuesday 7th February. Book in advance here to see the vocal shapeshifter perform in London’s only remaining Elizabethan church.

Tell us about yourself

I’m a singer and composer, nomad, lover of surprise and adventure - in life and music.

You studied Early Music Vocal Performance – what drew you to early and traditional music?

I grew up on a small Vermont farm in the northeastern U.S. (near Canada & Boston), and there were lots of people playing and singing folk music.  I also went to conservatory for piano performance, and there, at conservatory, fell in love with the sense of discovery and invention in the study and performance of early music.  I also love that so much of the vocal music makes the voice feel very instrument-like.

Is there a difference between using your voice as an instrument and as a singer in the more popular sense using words and stories?

Hmmm…great question!  I see the music that uses the voice ‘instrumentally’ as embracing the physicality, the range of timbres, the virtuosity of the voice rather than focusing JUST on that voice’s ability to convey text and float on top of an instrumental texture.

Your recordings and musical interests are are very global. How do you find your next musical obsession? Do you travel a lot?

The next projects come from a combo of meeting people that compel me, and following musical paths that challenge me and make me feel at home/useful as an artist. 

You’re playing with us solo, and you also play frequently with your vocal group VOCO. How different are the experiences?

I get to be more spontaneous and wild when performing solo, so that dynamic fills the space that more harmony and instrumentation does when I’m with VOCO.

We imagine the acoustics of a church will be a good match with your sound and look forward to hearing you sing. What’s the strangest place you have ever performed?

There’ve been many strange and wonderful venues!  A completely underground former water reservoir in Berlin made of brick. That was the dampest one - with the longest (16 seconds?) echo.

How did you come to know about SoundsCreative Projects?

I met Tara Franks by recording Hildegard with her sister Clemmie years ago!

What do you think of the Tea + a Gig concept?

I think it’s a beautiful idea - and brave, and experimental!  Brava!

At SCP we believe in connections. Can you connect us to 3 great artists we should know about?

Sam Amidon, Vivien Ellis, The Greeners!

Tea + a Gig: Winter warmers and spring surprises

Tea + a Gig, the daytime gig series for parents with babies in tow, returns to The Old Church N16, for an eclectic winter / spring season, featuring an Irish troubadour, a vocal shape-shifter from LA and a surprise guest (TBA).

Dates for your diary this season are Tuesdays 7th February, 7th March and 4th April.

The season kicks off with Moira Smiley, the vocal shape-shifter and musical polyglot from L.A. performing a solo gig of early traditional music. Moira is a singer / composer who creates and performs new work for voices. Her voice – and composing – are heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. 

From closer to home, Northern Ireland’s Pat Dam Smyth joins us in March, ahead of the launch of his new album. With his debut album 'The Great Divide' receiving critical acclaim from The Independent, Q Magazine and BBC 6 Music to name but a few, his music falls somewhere between John Grant, Leonard Cohen, Father John Misty and Nick Cave.

And keep your eyes peeled for the announcement of a third exciting artist to grace the Tea + a Gig stage in April.

As ever – Tea + a Gig are proper gigs for music lovers, which just happen to appeal to tots too. Plenty of buggy parking, and a jig-around area for toddlers. 

Catherine

SoundsCreative Projects Co-Conspirator

SoundsCreative Ensemble: Who, what and why?

“The connections made in SoundsCreative Ensemble are social, they’re musical, but also, they’re about the young people connecting in a new way to their own instrument”
— Tara Franks

With half term again around the corner, and our Neighbourhood Project SoundsCreative Ensemble returning to Arts and Media School Islington, we share this film made by the wonderful Magali Charrier. The film shows the SoundsCreative Ensemble process, how each workshop begins and grows, the types of social, musical and individual connections that are made, and what happens when you bring together musicians that are not from the same world.

In the film young musicians explain why they enjoy SoundsCreative Ensemble so much, what makes it different from other groups and orchestras they have played with.

We also meet some of the Connected Artists that co-lead the workshops, including Fernando Machado from Brazilian inspired ensemble Lambrego, who explains that the freedom of the SoundsCreative Ensemble approach means ‘“[the young musicians] are not trying to play the right note at the right time, there’s this other approach that gives you more intimacy with your instrument.”

Calling all young musicians, aged 8 -14! Half term is coming. If you’re still looking for things to do and would like to travel the creative journey of SoundsCreative Ensemble, come along.

This term the workshop will be led by Filipe Sousa, creative workshop leader and member of the Quest Ensemble. Filipe will be working alongside cellist and composer Tara Franks, founder and creative director of SoundsCreative Projects, and Palestinian oud virtuoso Saied Silbak.

For more information and to book in advance visit our What’s On page here.

Catherine
SoundsCreative Projects Co-Conspirator

New Year, New Singing You

Happy new year!

Vox Voices, SoundsCreative’s vocal workshop course, returns to The Greenhouse N16 on January 17th for the beginning of the winter to spring season.

If you make New Year’s resolutions every year to make more time for yourself, to take up a hobby, to meet new people, and then stay on the sofa every night, this year is the year to break a habit and make a noise.

Vox Voices is for anyone who wants to sing and make a collective sound. You don’t need to have experience or a killer voice. Songs are learnt by ear, in a playful and friendly environment, and the group always makes an uplifting racket to blow away any cobwebs.

Say goodbye to the carols and Auld Lang Syne. Expect to sing familiar and unfamiliar folk, jazz and world songs that Tara has collected on her travels.

Moira Smiley - vocal shape-shifter extraordinaire

Moira Smiley - vocal shape-shifter extraordinaire

This season, guest singer Moira Smiley will join Tara for a session in February. Moira will be travelling from her hilly Los Angeles perch. A musical polyglot, and vocal shape-shifter, her voice – and composing – are heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. Moira’s recordings feature spare, vocally driven collections of warped traditional songs, original polyphony and body percussion.

We look forward to welcoming Vox Voices regulars and hope to see a few new faces too! 

For more information or to book click here. 

Catherine
SoundsCreative Projects Co-Conspirator

Sharing world, jazz and folk music with big and small audiences →

Once a month in the beautiful Old Church in Stoke Newington, SoundsCreative curates a gig for parents to come along to with their babies in tow!  The idea - we all deserve a space to listen to a great gig whatever our age!

Tea + a gig (one of SoundsCreative's 5 neighbourhood projects) happens on the first Tuesday of every Month at 11am

1st November we have a rockin' duo - Vocal Global-  who will take the audience on a a musical journey around the world from the carribean to the middle-East with vocals, beat box and more.