LAETITIA SONAMI
Performer, Composer, Installation Artist and Teacher
(CV-9/09)
EDUCATION
1980 MFA - Center for Contemporary Music, Mills College, CA
EMPLOYMENT
Visiting Professor:
Present Stanford University, Visiting lecturer Art & Art History Dept.
Present Mills College (Individual Lesson Instructor)
1998-Present San Francisco Art Institute, S.F. Guest lecturer
2004-Present Milton Avery MFA Summer Program at Bard College, NY, Faculty
2009 spring CCA, Oakland, Guest lecturer
2003 CalArts, Valencia, Guest lecturer
2000 San Francisco State University, SF, Guest lecturer
Workshops and Lectures:
1992-PresentOberlin College, Wexner Art Center, MIT, Columbia College, Vassar, Bard, Princeton U., CalArts, Steim Institute/Amsterdam, Tinkers Workshop, UC Irvine, Kansas Art Inst., Lincoln Center Outdoors Festival: Home-made instruments day, Obscure/ Quebec, Simon Frazer U/Vancouver, UC Berkeley, Bennington College, Rensselaer Polytechnicum Institute, Art Institute of Chicago, Randolph Street Gallery/ Chicago, Mills College/ Oakland, IRCAM- Académies d'Eté/ Paris, UC San Diego, music dept. - Touring Lecturer at Melbourne Univ., Canberra Inst. of the Arts, Sydney Conservatory, Australia...
COMPOSITIONS/PERFORMANCES
Please Note: Performances are listed from the time they were premiered until removed from performance repertoire. During a life span of three to seven years, a piece evolves greatly from first to final version. I am only citing the location for the premiere of each piece.
2009-present“A Historical Moment on a line between A and B” Performance for live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Premiered at Obscure, Quebec.
2008- present “SheepWoman”, a live film performance in collaboration with video artist Sue Costabile. Commissioned and Premiered at LACE, LA,
2006-present“I.C.You”, a live film performance in collaboration with video artist Sue Costabile. Premiered at San Francisco International Film Festival.
2004-present“The Appearance of Silence (the Invention of Perspective)” Performance for live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Premiered at Sounding Beijing, China.
2000-present“Why __ dreams like a loose engine (autoportrait)” for voice, live electronics, and computer controlled servo-motors. Premiered at Gaudeamus Music Week- Melkweg (NL).
2007“Bellow Activated Electronic Memories”, for electronic bellow. Premiered at Grand21, Oakland, CA.
2000-2005"Conversation with a light bulb" composition for voice, data sounds and light bulbs. Premiered at the Santa Fe International Festival of Electro-Acoustic Music.
2002 “Birds w/o feet (cannot land)” Music for a choreography by Molissa Fenley. Premiered at Joyce Theatre, NYC.
2000 "Two Trees" composition for a choreography by Wendy Rogers.
"Vanishing Tower" composition for a video by Terri Hanlon.
1997-2003 "Has/Had" for voice and live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Text by M. Sumner Carnahan. Premiered at The Kitchen, NYC.
1997-2002 "She Came Back, Again” for voice and live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Text by Sumner Carnahan. Premiered at the Kitchen, NYC.
1996 "Mona Lisa", collaboration with Donald Swearinghen, Pamela Z and Japanese video artists Visual Brains Commissioned by the Interlink Festival for a ‘96 tour of Japan.
“Nga’i pha yul” a collaboration with David Wessel and Tibetan opera singer Tsering Wangmo, for live electronics and voice. Premiered at IRCAM-Paris
1995-2000 "... and she keeps coming back for more" for live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Premiered at Hertz Hall - University of California, Berkeley.
1995-1999 " Wilfred wants You to Remember Us", for live electronics controlled by the lady's glove. Commissioned for New American Radio series’95, under the title "The Bench". Text by M.Sumner Carnahan.
1980-94" The Manananggal- Women Soignées" (musical theatre in collaboration with performer Marie Goyette and author M. Sumner Carnahan), "What Happened II" (electronics controlled by the lady's glove, text by Sumner Carnahan) "Story Road " (synthesizers,text by Melody Sumner-Carnahan.) "Wilfred wants you to remember us" ( electronics and voice,text by Melody Sumner-Carnahan) "Mechanization takes command " (collaboration with Paul DeMarinis, electronics, voice and slides). "Pie Jesu - Sounds from Empty Spaces" (electronic inst. and voice), "What Happened" (electronic inst. and voice, text by Sumner-Carnahan), “ Drole de Dimanche” (home-made electronics) "Oh-Balihi-Wadou" (magnetic tapes and voice)...
SOUND INSTALLATIONS:
2007“Chairs”, a collaborative installation with the Mills College community, Oakland, CA. Participants were asked to create listening spaces using chairs as site, instrument and space for reflection (http://www.sonami.net/CHAIRS.htm).
2006"Sounds of War", installation @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, SF
2005 "Pink Bird Shadows” Installation @ Lincoln Center, NYC.
2004 "Wire Rap II: Amnesia" Installation for wires and sound.@ Walter and McBean Galleries, SF.
2003 " Where are you now?” a site-specific installation with servo motor, nasturtium, hi-hat and spoons (plastic, wood and silver) @ Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland.
2002“Celebration 2002”, site specific installation withmotorized rubber gloves and American flags and at Walter & McBean Gallery, SF
2001“BAGS” an installation at New Langton Arts, San Francisco, in collaboration with Nick Bertoni, the Tinkers Workshop and East Bay Youth.
2000"Conversation with a light bulb no.5", sound installation for light bulb filament controlled by sound and resonnator. Walter & McBean Gallery,SF.
NOMINATIONS, AWARDS, HONORS:
2008 Rasmusson Fellowship Nomination 2007 David Tudor Composer in Residence, Mills College
2002 Herb Albert Awards in the Arts
2000 Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts Award
2000 Creative Work Fund Award for BAGS: a collaboration with N. Bertoni.
1999 Civitella Ranieri Fellowship
1997 Ars Electronica/ORF Honorary mention for "Has/Had".
CD RELEASES:
"Wilfred..." and "She keeps comings back for more" / Lovely Music (upoming ), Les Scaphandres / Ambiances Magnétiques (with Jocelyn Robert) Messiah Remix / Cantalloupe Music (compilation) Crachecophage / OHMAvatar (collaboration with Jocelyn Robert) The Time is Now / Frog Peak (compilation) Story Road / Tellus Jewel Box 26 (compilation) What Happened / Nonesuch Records (compilation) Pie Jesu - Sounds from Empty Places / Music & Arts Prog. of America (compilation)