The making of ‘Dangerous Song’ | Workshop Voice & Improvisation


Dangerous Song is a music duo from Australia – a collaboration between Linsey Pollak (musician, composer and instrument maker) and singer Lizzie O’Keefe. It is a performance that combines the human voice with the sounds of endangered and extinct animals to create an intriguing and moving musical performance. This musical collaboration between Linsey and Lizzie is an exciting one which has created a new musical language with structured, yet very free improvisation. Linsey plays animal calls using a midi wind controller. He uses Live looping technology to instantaneously record layers of music as he plays. Lizzie joins him weaving her voice in and out of the musical landscape of animal sounds.


YouTube video about Dangerous Song @ Metaal Kathedraal

WHAT IS THIS WORKSHOP?

Learn about the performance ‘Dangerous Song’ and how Linsey Pollak and Lizzie O’Keefe created it and the way they work. Singers will get the opportunity to improvise with recorded loops created by Linsey using sounds of endangered animals. Singers will work with Lizzie on vocal technique and new ways of using their voice.

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?

Singers, improvisers and those people simply interested in the making of ‘Dangerous Song’.

Tickets

Tickets: €65,- / Students €40,- (use vouchercode STUDENTS to get the €25 student discount)
BOOK ONLINE – Limited seats.
Price includes coffee, tea and all needed materials.

Dit programmaonderdeel van Metaal Kathedraal wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door gemeente Utrecht!

Lees meer over Artist in Residence Linsey Pollak

Linsey Pollak – Bio

Linsey Pollak is well known all around Australia as a musician, instrument maker, composer, musical director and community music facilitator. He has toured his solo shows extensively in Europe, Nth America and Asia since 1996.

He established The Multicultural Arts Centre of WA and has co-ordinated five Cross-cultural Music Ensembles in three different States. He has also performed at most major Festivals around Australia and recorded 32 albums (solo & with various groups). He has devised many large Festival pieces such as “BimBamBoo!! (Woodford and Brisbane Festivals) “Sound Forest” (Qld Music Festival) and “The Dream of Zedkat Nabu” (APRA Performance of the Year – Qld 2013).

He has worked as a musical instrument maker for 40 years and has designed many new wind instruments as well as specialising in woodwind instruments from Eastern Europe (having studied Macedonian bagpipes in Macedonia).

Linsey has a reputation for making and playing instruments made from found objects such as rubber gloves, carrots, watering cans, chairs, brooms and bins. First developed in his solo show “Bang it with a Fork” and further in the acclaimed children’s show “Out of the Frying Pan”, this line of musical inventiveness has ultimately led him to spearhead Live Looping and develop his solo shows such as “Knocking on Kevin’s Door”, “Playpen”, “The Art of Food”, “Making Jam”, “Cycology” and “Live & Loopy”.

Linsey’s current musical projects include his solo show “Carrot Man”, exciting new duo project with singer Lizzie O’Keefe – “Dangerous Song”, The Balkanics (funky Balkan influence music) and the Community Balkan Gypsy style street band “The Unusual Suspects”.

From the Press:
“The unexpected is what Pollak…does so well.” The Courier Mail, Brisbane
“Pollak’s creativity shines…combining comedy and music making.” Hong Kong Standard

Lizzie O’Keefe – Bio

Lizzie O’Keefe is a dynamic and commanding vocal artist and a versatile, innovative performer, based on the Sunshine Coat, Australia. Studying classical and jazz from an early age, Lizzie has developed a completely unique signature style with a wide vocal range, strong improvisational skills and enjoys experimenting with many different styles. Her sound has been described as haunting and beautiful in the same sentence.

Her most recent project ‘Dangerous Song’ is a collaboration with a well known Australian musician, Linsey Pollak. Dangerous Song combines the sounds of endangered and extinct animal calls with the human voice. It evokes an emotional connection and response to the sometimes “hard to swallow” facts about the current Sixth Extinction Crisis, inspiring understanding, love and hopefully action. They have also created two multimedia works: ‘Dangerous Song – black’ and ‘Dangerous Song – blue’, both these hour performances use imagery, which is projected onto a scrim that surrounds both performers. Their latest work ‘Dangerous Song – blue’ uses the most incredible underwater cinematography by David Hannan of Ocean Ark Alliance and pays homage to our ocean. They were awarded a RADF grant in 2016 which allowed them record and release their first ‘Dangerous Song – black album’ and plan to release ‘Dangerous Song – blue’ in December 2017. Dangerous Song is currently touring nationally and internationally, having already performed at Woodford Folk Festival (QLD), Festival of Colours (NZ), Festival of Voices (TAS) and Horizon Festival (SC) to name but a few.

During this past year, Lizzie has been fortunate to collaborate with the likes of William Close and the Earth Harp Collective (USA) at the Horizon Festival on the Sunshine Coast; Ben Walsh (The Bird, Orchestra of the Underground, Circle of Rhythm); and Nadia Sunde.
Lizzie is also developing a solo looping project under the moniker ‘Lila’. This project will give you an insight into who Lizzie is and the journey that she has been on with the intent for the listener to be able to tap into their own heart and reflect on their own experiences.

Previously Lizzie lived and performed in the UK and Indonesia. During this time she recorded with the Mitchell and Dewbury Band (Brighton), Jazzanova (Berlin), Razoof (Cologne) and Drumagick (Brazil). Whilst living in Indonesia she formed the duo Paramitsha, releasing a self-titled EP in 2013. The project pulled on many strains of world music, from flamenco, Arabic and jazz to folk and classical.
After returning to Australia she released her debut solo EP Leaden Heart, in mid 2014, with the title track making her a finalist in the jazz category for the 2015 Queensland Music Awards.