Full CV
Sianed Jones
Composer specialising in Extended Vocal Techniques, Teacher, Performer, Improviser, Programmer. Works as a composer / performer in cross art form projects collaborating with choreographers, writers, film makers and performance artists in site specific performances.
B.A (Hon) Degree in Music, Dartington College of Arts 1980
M.Mus. Degree in Electro-acoustic Composition, University of East Anglia 1997
Research into extended vocal techniques has taken her to Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Madagascar, (1987) Mongolia (1994) Kazakhstan, and Kyrgistan (1999).
CURRENT EMPLOYMENT
Musician for The Royal Shakespeare Company*’s 2010 production of *King Lear and Romeo and Juliet at The Courtyard Theatre Stratford upon avon.
Vocal Soloist for ‘Recording Angel’ in Norwich Cathedral
A Voice Project and Norfolk and Norwich Festival May 2010 Commission
A three way collaboration between Trumpeter and vocalist Arve Henriksen, sampler/DJ Jan Bang and Vocalist Jonathan Baker
Vocal Soloist for ‘Glossolalia’ by Andy Sheppard in Coutance Jazz Festival France with the Voice Project Choir conducted by Sian Croose and
Kuljit Bhamra and John Parricelli 2010
Co director and founder with Simon Thorne and Eva Diva of Clwb Hwaet, bi monthly nights of sonic and visual experimentation taking place at tactileBOSCH in Cardiff. Experimenter’s video installationists and performers have included Simon Thorne’s Annapurna Quartet, Reassemble, Japanese koto player Hiroko Sue, Bassist Laurie Scott Baker Sianed Jones and many more. 2010
Composer / Performer with story teller Ben Haggarty an intense steam punk interpretation of the story of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, originally commissioned by the Hay on Wye Literature Festival. Frankenstein tours Britain and Canada in 2010 including The Barbican in London with the Crick Crack Club.
Co – collaborator with Capoeirista Carlo Alexandre Teixeira da Silva in a research project ‘Border Country’ with The Royal Shakespeare company in the RSC Studio platform for developing new work.
RECENT EMPLOYMENT
Vocalist in the 2010 tour of ‘Neanderthal’ by Simon Thorne, a composition originally commissioned by The National Museum of Wales including a performance at the New Territories Festival in The Tramway Glasgow.
Vocalist, Teacher, Composer, and Performer, (with Human Music) at Vocal Invention weekend of musical experimentation, workshops and performances in Norwich Arts Centre 2010
Vocal soloist for ‘The Guests’ a composition by Howard Davidson for Clarinet septet and voice for The Holocaust Memorial concert in Bristol Cathedral 2010
Musician for The Royal Shakespeare Company*’s production of *Winter’s Tale at The Courtyard Theatre Stratford upon avon. 2009 season
Vocal Improvising soloist for ‘Salome’ film sound track by composer
Charlie Barber The score performed live by four percussionists’ toured Wales and England with the original film in 2009 including The Drill Hall London.
Composer / Performer for ‘Winterlumens’ a commission for the opening of the new Studio space at The Point Eastleigh. Aerial choreography by Robyn Simpson, directed and produced by Gregory Nash with a first preview of Akram Khan of Gnosis as part of the progamme. 2009
Recipient of The Creative Wales Award and touring grant 2007 given by The Welsh Arts Council to create Taliesin a 3 Screen Video / Performance / Installation. A collaboration with video maker Henrietta Hale based on the Ancient Welsh 6th Century poems of Taliesin. The work has been performed in Wales and England including the Wales Millenium Centre. A 10 minute version was shown at The Screen on the Hill London in May 2008 and as an installation in tactileBOSCH’s Auxesis:3of3 ‘Through the Lens Media’ 2009 and at The Point in 2010.
Vocal soloist for ‘I Prefer The Georgeous Freedom’ by Gwilym Simcock and The Voice Project Choir for the London Jazz Festival at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. It was originally commissioned by Norwich and Norfolk Festival 2009
Vocalist in the leading role of Jenni Roditi’s opera ‘Innana’, originally commissioned by Lontano for the ICA in 1990 and reborn in a bare bones version for The Arcola Theatre’s Grimeborn International Festival of new and revolutionary opera’s in 2009
Vocalist / Composer for ‘Human Music’ an Octet of a-cappella voices performing contemporary vocal music. Vocalists / composers, Jonothan Baker, Helen Chadwick, Dave Camlin, Sian Croose, Sharon Durrant, Katherine Zesserson, Becks Mathers Originally formed for a site specific ‘Singing the Building’ commission by The Sage Gateshead as part of their Jazz Festival in 2005.
MUSIC GROUPS
Soloist with Bigger Sky (a 100 strong community choir directed by Sian Croose) performing Andy Sheppard’s ‘Glossolalia’ commissioned by Norwich and Norfolk Festival in The Norwich Cathedral May 2006 and at The Jazz Festival The Sage Gateshead 2007.
Collaborator and performer with South Indian percussionist Divakar Subramaniam as Creu Vam Asi touring venues across Wales includuing the Beyond The Border International Story Telling Festival in St Donats, and the Wales Millenium Centre. An Asian/Celtic fusion on voice, violin, Harmonium, Kanjira and Konnakol bringing two sound worlds, two languages, two cultures together. 2007
Soloist and lyricist for ‘Soul Journey’ with Bigger Sky conducted by Sian Croose. The latest commission by the 2006 Norwich and Norfolk Festival by the king of Funk Trombone Dennis Rollins performed with his band Badbones.
Touring and promoting solo album surrender out on Sound & Language label.
A show performed at venues and festivals across the country, solo and with a full band. Sianed accompanies herself on Violin, Harmonium, Viol da Gamba, and Samples. 2004 – 2006
The recording of Song Sculptures. A song cycle composed by Will Menter especially for Sianed’s voice, Violin, Acoustic Bass, Slate Marimba and Sound Sculptures. Debut performance took place in ‘L’arc Scene National, Le Creusot 2004 The album was released in 2005. Song Sculptures did a short tour of France in 2006.
Composer and performer with Original Signature a group of Norfolk and Suffolk composers that received a Year of the Artist commission to create new works that toured in the Eastern region 2001.
Performer with Garam Masala a cross-cultural meltdown of Asian and European music and languages. Sianed performs with Samia Malik, clarinet, and bassist Cris Cheek and tabla player Sukh Deep Singh. ‘Passionate and easily understood across international frontiers’ Asian Times. ‘Renditions in both English and Urdu capture in poignant writing the struggle faced by women’ Daily Jang. Garam Masala debut CD released on Sound and Language Label (‘98)
Songs from Navigation a collaboration with performance poet Cris Cheek to produce a book and CD for Reality Street publishers (97) it includes ‘The Bait’
Performer with Hank Wangford and the Lost Cowboys (traditional Country and Western) ‘Sianed Jones, in particular, the violinist cum singer proved to have an exceptional and versatile voice! the effect was jaw-droppingly beautiful and original’. The Scotsman Edinburgh Festival ‘97
‘Vocals to paraphrase an old Castrol ad is too small a word for it. Up and down registers yet to be ticked, her voice checked into a class of her own! what is this surreal Welsh soul? Her fiddle began scratching and gliding along with her voice, her body swaying, a visual representation of the spiritual and lustful music she was enunciating’. The Western Telegraph. ‘98
composer / performer with Nada touring Mongolia 1994. A group of British Musician / Improvisers touring with a traditional Mongolian Xhoomi singer at events across the Gobi desert.
Composer / performer with Slant collaborating with turntable artist Philip Jeck and performance poet cris cheek. Toured Europe and the UK including the ICA London. 1986 – 1989
Debut Hive album 1989 on These label
‘What impresses is their sensitivity to sound, where electronics blend incredibly with acoustic, layered into sensitive, subtle and strange songs, flowing or gently frantic with a wonderful lyric sense and delivery. My pick of the issue’ Fact Sheet Five.
Slant CD on Sound and Language label
‘They transform everything they touch’ Mixing It BBC Radio 3
The Canning Town Chronicle CD
‘Slant cuss and spit at convention creating a sophisticated mess, revelling in textures, poetry and performance art’ Lowestoft Journal
‘The Beautiful Clove Street, a tropical east end fantasy with cicadas and Gamelan’. The Wire
Composer / Performer in Switzerland and Austria with Philip Jeck to create ‘From Glimmer To Gleam’ for solo violin and electronics and 40, 1950’s Dansette record players 1994
‘Two artists evolve in a strange acoustic universe……. Philip Jeck and Sianed Jones creation is to music what the house of Facteur Cheval is to architecture’. Fribourg Journal Switzerland.
Violinist with Noor Shimaal a group with North African dancer / singer Amel Ben Hassim Miller Darbouhka player Dawson Ben Hassim Miller vocalist Viv Corringham-Dogan clarinettist Cris Cheek playing North African, Turkish and Greek music.
Sianed co-founded Sound & Language with Cris Cheek, a company promoting performances, recordings and publications. 1992
Composer / Performer Some Hits and Hot Hits with cris cheek touring Europe with a residency in San Francisco USA 1991 (ë91 – ë93)
‘A beautiful sweet and sour chaos’ De Morgen Belgium
‘Chaotic declamation, Beautiful cabaret’ Culture Austria
Backing vocalist and violinist for RCA artist Brian Kennedy touring Europe including support act for Everything but the Girl The Albert Hall London 1990. Debut CD album *‘A Great War of Words’ *out on RCA label
Composer – Performer in Si Yn Y Gwynt High Frequency a bilingual Welsh English composition commissioned by Voice Over Festival and performed at the ICA London 1990 an the Inside Out Festival Crawley 1991
Performer for Will Menters song cycle Can Y Graig Slate Voices for voice, instruments, sound sculptures, film projections and textiles. It toured slate quarries and museums in Wales, The Arnolfini in Bristol and the ICA London. 1990
Toured Internationally East and Western Europe (including the New Music America Festival New York ‘89 and Russia ‘90) with Kahondo Style (‘84 – ‘90)
‘They capsized the rhythms and pieces to turn the sound inside out’ Grenoble Jazz Festival
‘Multi Instrumentalists with a flagrant desire to communicate’ Jazz Magazine
‘of the attempts to fuse both elements ‘Fluff on the Carpet’ (by Sianed Jones) was the most successful. It began in Japan moved west to Turkey (ish!) and veered off into a kletzmer finale with some particularly fine thunderous violin from Sianed Jones.’ The Wire
THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE
Performed Midir and Eadoine with story teller Ben Haggarty at The Barbican London. A re-working of a version first performed 10 years ago. An extraordinary story of two gods whose passionate pursuit of love spans a thousand years, multiple and monstrous reincarnations and the transformation of the world by the arrival of Humankind. Unbridled and archaic fantasy based on 10th Century Irish texts found in a convent in Cheltenham. Armed with voice, violin, Electric Bass, Indian Street violin, Mexican turtle Okarina, a singing bowl and chimes the world of Midir and Eadoine is re-created. 2008
Working as Actress / Composer / Performer for The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Olivier Award winning History Season of 8 plays:- Richard II, Henry IV part 1 and 2, Henry V, Henry VI part I, II, III and Richard III directed by Michael Boyd in Stratford upon Avon, and transferred to The Round House Camden London 2008
Composer / Collaborator / Teacher for The Royal Shakespeare Company. Shakespear’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona was performed in Portugese and English as part of The Complete Works Festival in Stratford upon Avon 2006. A collaboration between Brazilian company of young people, Nos Do Morro based in Rio de Jeneiro and Gallery 37 based in Birmingham. Sianed travelled to Brazil to work with the company alongside Cissely Berry in preparation for the project.
Deputy Musical Director for The Royal Shakespeare Company’s International touring production of Canterbury Tales and transferring to The Guielgood Theatre London 2006.
Collaborating with Musical Director John Wolf to compose music and perform for The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Twelfth Night, directed by Michael Boyd at Stratford upon Avon 2005. The production transferred to The Novello Theatre London in 2006.
Debut performance of Bread, Bath, Boardroom and Bloody Murder. A short overture of what will be a full length opera was given at The Royal Shakespeare Company’s New Works Festival 2005 in Stratford upon Avon. The original concept and libretto by Mine Kaylan and composition by Sianed Jones.
Musician / Performer with The Royal Shakespeare Company performing ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in their winter season at Stratford upon Avon. (2003 – 2004)
Musician / Performer in The Royal Shakespeare Company ‘s production of ‘Eastward Ho’ at Stratford Upon Avon. (transferred to the West End in London) 2002-2003
Composer / Performer with story teller Ben Haggarty a re-writing of the story of Frankenstein, commissioned by the Hay on Wye Literature Festival 2002 Performed at The Barbican 2003
Curated a residency for 10 artists The Meltings: – Nightjar, Nick Parkin, Marie Gabrielle Rotie, Amanda Glover, Lone Twin, Larry Lynch, Cris Cheek, Kirsten Lavers in a derelict Maltings in Halesworth Suffolk. Presented ‘Carthen’ a sound and visual installation. (‘99)
Composer / Performer of Midir and Eadoine improvised renditions of the 10th century Irish epic with storyteller Ben Haggarty. Toured ‘Transformation Tales’ in Kazakhstan and Kyrgistan invited by the British Council (‘99). Performed at the International Beyond the Border Festivals in Wales (‘99) and the International Storytelling Festival Utrecht (2000).
Performed the leading role in Jenni Roditi’s opera Sprit Child. The debut performance took place at Ocean in London in May 2001
‘…. were it not for the difficult and fiendishly varied vocal line given to Siddartha himself requiring an outstanding singer of the class of Sianed Jones, who played the role in this premiere performance in a stunning new venue……..’ The lengthy prelude, which is the musically most interesting section of the work, allows her to demonstrate her outstanding gifts…’ The Stage May 2001
‘As Siddhartha Sianed Jones proved capable of many things: a soaring near falsetto, a cavernous chest register, a terrifying wail.’ The Sunday Observer May 2001
Composer and performer for Lliwio’r Gair The Colour of Saying
a bi-lingual Welsh English installation / Exhibition of *Mary Lloyd Jones*’s visual work 2000
A recipient of the Year of the Artist commissioning money to make a sound / visual installation / exhibition ‘A Snapshot of Lowestoft in the year 2000’
Composer for the Tiebreak Theatre Company’s Millennium Theatre Commission, touring in the Eastern Region Autumn 2000. Composer for ‘The Snow Egg a production for under 6 year olds
Musical Director for The Company of Imagination – a multi-cultural-music-dance-visual-theatre- company, doing outdoor site specific projects with communities in both rural and urban environments.1989 – 1991 ‘The Landing of Arcadia’ and ‘Cycle of Birds’
Performed the leading role in Jenni Roditi’s contemporary opera Innana 1992 at the ICA London and Zagreb Biennale festival 1997.
Composer for Paignes Plough production of ‘Feasting on Air’ by Suzy Gilmore 1990
Composer for Scarlet Harlet’s production of ‘Appetites of the Heart 1987
Composer / Performer with Suzy Gilmore in The Observation Tower 1986.
‘Sianed Jones has a beautiful voice which she uses to excellent effect in childish chants, hymns and wordless elements throughout the piece……It is exhilarating to watch these two women tackle a complex political subject and through the truth of their artistic evocation refine our perception of the issues involved’. Performance Magazine
‘Soaring poetry, lyrical humour’ Time Out London
‘Suzy Gilmor plays the glassy eyed narrator whilst Sianed Jones splashes paint on paper plays organ and fiddle and wails a banshee dirge, as a crazed backcloth to the bitter story of how politics conspire to torture these ‘Two little girls from Ballybum’ City Limits London
Performer with Ra Ra Zoo Circus 1985
Performer with Sadista Sisters touring Europe and Britain 1983
Toured Europe with Blood Group in ‘Dirt’ as musician / performer 1983
SOLO PERFORMANCE
Contributed to a book ‘Playing with Words’ collated by Cathy Lane which explores some of the many ways in which composers and artists are using and have used words, especially the spoken word, as the primary material in their work. 2008 A live launch of the book happened in Klangkunst Festival Germany May 2009
Composer / Performer for solo and group versions of The Jones Project 2000 – 2003. Sianed accompanying herself on Violin, Harmonium, Electric Bass, Keyboards and Samples.
Composer / Performer for Calling the Changes a solo for voice, violin, electronics and triggers performed at ‘In the event of Text Ephemeralities of Writing’ in Utrecht (‘99), at UEA Sonic Arts concerts series and Soundworks Exchange Munich (‘99). Released on Law and Auder records ‘Female of the Species’ (99)
Composer / Performer for solo for voice violin and electronics The Bait opening the 3rd Annual LMC Festival of Experimental Music 1992 Broadcast live on Mixing It Radio 3 and performed at St Johns Smith Square London ’97
‘In their very different ways Sianed Jones’s The Bait and Jenni Roditi’s Spirit Child both had the energy, the urgency and the directness of expression that so much well-intentioned new music lacks! ‘ The sour wit and the strength of Jones’s performance are unique.’Sianed Jones brought all her hard-edged passion and skill to bear on the vocal part’. – The Independent 97
Composer / Performer in Hwpo for voice electronics and tape as part of Electric Concert series (the programme was made up of pieces by Philip Glass Jim Beirne and Steve Reich) 1994
DANCE COMPANIES
Composer for Chapter 4 Dance Company working with a mix of professional, local dancers, young people and special needs dancers, to create a site specific project Falling Thoughts, Rising Secrets in Chapel field Gardens that was then performed in The Garage Norwich. 2005
Composer / Performer for In the Light of Lunar Sea a dance company choreographed by Henrietta Hale, part of the Spring Loaded Dance Festival at the Place London (2002)
String of Pearls collaboration with choreographer Paula Hampson that toured spring ‘99 and premiered at the Spring Loaded Festival London (‘99)
A residency at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (‘97) with choreographer Paula Hampson to create a site specific performance with students and professional dancers.
Composer / Performer for She Says choreographed by Paula Hampson touring nationally including NOTT Dance festival 1997
Composer in residence for the National Scottish Youth Dance Summer School 1988 – 1996
Composer / Performer for One + One + a collaboration with Tina Razafy a Madagascan choreographer, commissioned by Chisenhale Dance Space 1993
toured nationally as Composer / Performer with Greg Nash Dance Company 1992 ‘Waiting on the Wonton’
Composer in residence with Emilyn Claid at the South Bank Centre’s Ballroom Blitz performance of ‘Parched Swallows’ 1992
RADIO / VIDEO / FILM
Vocalist / Violinist / Improviser on Dust House ‘s promotional video trailers for
The Royal Shakespeare Company and Soho Theatre London
Vocal Improvising soloist for ‘Salome’ film sound track by composer Charlie Barber The score performed live by four percussionists toured Wales and England with the original film in 2009 including The Drill Hall London.
Recorded a half hour programme for BBC Radio Cymru A Welsh language programme Stiwdio, produced by Medwen Davies. It included excerpts of music from CD’s ‘surrender’ and ‘Twelfth Night’, various live performances, the song performed in the RSC’s production of Henry IV part 1, free improvisations with South Indian percussionist Divakar Subrananiam, interspersed with music that inspired Sianed on her travels (Mongolian Longsong, Kyrgis epic singers African vocalists) an interview about her life and work. 2008
Recorded the Welsh song of the RSC ‘s production of Henry IV part 1 in the Round House London with a 3-minute potted history of Sianed’s life for Welsh Channel 4 TV programme Wedi Saith. 2008
Improvised strings and voice for composer John Hardy creating textural soundscapes for Carrlands a web based project directed by Mike Pearson, an archeological soundpiece about Lincolnshire.2006
Violinist in composer John Hardy’s chamber orchestra Ensemble 8 recording the soundtrack to a Welsh film Cwcw. 2006
Member of the London Bulgarian Choir. Recorded the soundtrack to Warner Bros ‘Troy’ in Los Angeles 2003.
Tongues Undone collaboration with performance writer Cris Cheek and video maker Martin Sercombe performed at the World Wide Video Festival (‘98) in Amsterdam. Performed Maud on live vocals and triggered samples with video by Martin Sercombe at the World Wide Video Festival Amsterdam (‘99)
Miss Julie composed, arranged and performed music live on set for the
Mike Figgis film, an adaptation of a Strindberg play ‘Miss Julie’ (‘99)
Composer for Singing the Horizon a collaboration with video maker Martin Sercombe funded by East Anglian Arts. Screened at the World Wide Video Festival in Amsterdam 1996
Composer / Performer for The Bait Solo for voice violin and electronics Broadcast live on Mixing It Radio 3 from the 3rd Annual LMC Festival of Experimental Music 1992.