Diana Soh, 2019

…born in 1984, I am a young Singaporean composer whose musical interest has always been directed at exploring performance interactivity. I am interested in writing music that includes the physical aspects of music making. My music tends to be characterised by interruptive oppositions between surface activities and passivity with a new passion for the use of electronics. My works have been performed in venues and festivals as varied as the Manifeste Festival, Acanthes Festival, Royaumont Voix Nouvelles, Musica Strasbourg, and the June in Buffalo Festival among many others. It has also been broadcasted on BBC Radio 3, Danmarks Radio, Österreichischer Rundfunk, Deutschlandfunk, and of course, France Musique.

I have had the good fortune of working with musicians such as the late James Avery, Magnus Andersson, Tony Arnold, Pierre Andre Valade, NEO Norrbotten, Ensemble Court Circuit, Klangforum Wien, the Arditti Quartet and many more. An alumnus of the National University of Singapore’s YST Conservatory of Music, I terminated my doctoral studies at the University at Buffalo and have spent 2 years at IRCAM for the Cursus 1 and 2 (2011-2013) program.

My move from Buffalo to Paris also came with the opportunity to contribute to my new found community as the composer-in-residence (2012-2013) at the Conservatoire D’ivry sur Seine in partnership with La Muse en Circuit. The end of my residency in 2013 was marked with my first portrait concert as part of the Festival Extension.

This upcoming concert season I am experimenting with the idea of modular short pieces and audience participating in a project for 7 instruments with Ensemble Court-Circuit (FR). I am also composing for Ensemble Divertimento (IT) as their 2019 composer-in-residence. Other exciting projects include working on my opera project “Tragic ways of killing a woman” and continuing my longterm collaboration on Project AZ with the singer Elise Chauvin and Trio KDM.

Currently residing in Paris, I am enjoying putting dots on paper, eating great food and seizing inspiration from the city’s vibrant cultural life…