Joan la barbara

JOAN LA BARBARA's (b. June 8, 1947 in Philadelphia) career as a composer, performer and sound artist has been devoted to exploring the human voice as a multi-faceted instrument, going far beyond its traditional boundaries, creating works for voices, instruments and interactive technology. "One of the great vocal virtuosas of our time" (San Francisco Examiner) and an important pioneer in the field of contemporary classical music and soundart, she developed a unique vocabulary of experimental and extended …

…Idea (1994). La Barbara was educated at Syracuse and New York Universities, studying with Helen Boatwright, Phyllis Curtin and Marian Szekeley-Freschi. She gives workshops on extended vocal techniques and composition world wide; taught on the faculty of California Institute of the Arts (1981-86); served as Vice President of the American Music Center until 1993; co-Artistic Director of the New Music American Festival in Los Angeles (1985) and produces and co-hosts a weekly radio program, "Other Voices, Other Sounds."