Lukas Ligeti
Biography
LUKAS LIGETI was born in Vienna, Austria, and studied at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. In the mid-90s, he spent 2 years as a visiting scholar at Stanford's computer music center; he has lived in New York City since 1998.
Lukas Ligeti
Interested in polymetric structures, new methods of ensemble interplay, the potential and problems of technology, and drawing significant influences from his experiences as a drummer playing jazz and free-improvised music as well as from world music and collaborations with traditional musicians, especially in Africa, Lukas Ligeti is an unusual figure in the contemporary music world, perhaps best seen as part of the lineage of American individualists such as Ives, Cowell, Partch, Cage, McPhee, Nancarrow, the "minimalists", John Zorn, etc.
He has received commissions from the Ensemble Modern, Kronos Quartet, American Composers Forum, Vienna Festwochen, Radio France, New York University, and many
others, and his music has been performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony, Orchestre
National de Lyon, London Sinfonietta, Amadinda and So Percussion Groups, and many others at festivals worldwide. His chamber music CD "Mystery System", released by Tzadik Records in 2004, has received great acclaim.
As an improvisor, he has performed with Henry Kaiser, John Zorn, John Oswald, John Tchicai, Wadada Leo Smith, Borah Bergman, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler, Ned Rothenberg, Raoul Björkenheim, Michael Manring, and countless others, and frequently performs solo on electronic percussion.
"World music" collaborations are another important part of Lukas' activities; these have been supported by the Goethe Institute, Austrian Development Cooperation, various NGOs and others. In 1994 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, he founded the group Beta Foly, combining African traditional music and computer technology in experimental ways; the CD "Lukas LIgeti & Beta Foly" was released by Intuition Music (Germany) in 1997, and the ensemble performed at numerous festivals in Europe. Among other projects have been collaborations with Nubian musicians in Egypt (concert at the Cairo Opera), Batonga musicians in Zimbabwe, and musicians from various Caribbean islands residing in Miami; in 2004 he founded the group Burkina Electric, combining dance club electronica and elements of the traditional music of Burkina Faso; this band's first CD, "Paspanga", was just released in Burkina Faso and the group performed at the Ouagadougou jazz festival just a few days ago. Solo performances at the Unyazi Festival in Jo'burg in 2005 led to an invitation as composer-in-residence at Wits in from July until September 2006.
