Miriama Young is a composer, sound artist, and scholar. She is a lecturer in Music at the University
of Aberdeen,
Scotland.
Miriama writes music for instrumental and vocal resources, and also works with live and fixed electronic media. She has a particular interest in composing for the voice, in works that range from opera to song cycle to spoken word. Miriama Young collaborates across media, producing projects for radio, and interactive electro-acoustic music for dance.
As a scholar, her forthcoming book, Singing
the Body Electric examines
the human voice, the body, and the sound of its transformation through
technology. Selected chapters are published in Contemporary
Music Review.
Miriama was raised in Wellington, New Zealand, and graduated with a B.A. in History
and B.Mus. (Hons) in Music Composition from Victoria
University of Wellington (1999). In 2000 she took up a Fulbright
Graduate Award to pursue [post] graduate study in the USA. Miriama completed her MFA and PhD in Music
Composition at Princeton University
in New Jersey (2007).
Miriama's
instrumental and vocal works are commissioned and programmed by ensembles in the United
States, the UK, Europe, and New Zealand, including performances
by Scottish Opera, So Percussion, New
Millennium Ensemble, Quey
Percussion, the Nash
Ensemble, New
Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Stroma,
the Yesaroun' Duo, Strike
Percussion, and Now Ensemble,
and at the Bang on a Can Summer
Institute at MassMoca. She has held artist residencies at Yaddo and MacDowell Colonies.
Miriama's
work is recorded on three compilation albums: 'Snapdragon'
features on the compilation CD Waiteata
Collection of New Zealand Music, and as a published score by Waiteata
Music Press (New Zealand); 'Iron
Tongues' for percussion trio features on Strike’s
album New
Zealand Percussion Music, which was awarded 'New Zealand Classical
Album of the Year 2001'. An electronic piece featuring her voice
in spoken narrative entitled 'Speak
Volumes' is featured on the CD New
Zealand Sonic Art 2000.