Toby Charles Roundell: composer & educator

"Toby Charles Roundell was born in London and currently works as a composer and teacher in China. His music pursues beauty, meditation and states of spiritual contemplation. In the past few years, he has worked almost exclusively with solo voice, and especially with the soprano Irene Kurka, exploring psalms, antiphons and books from the minor prophets. Together, Irene and Toby have recently released 'Meditations on the Great Antiphons' on Edition Wandleweiser Records.

He studied composition and performance at the Royal Northern College of Music and shortly after received a commendation in the hcmf// Young Composers' Competition. In 2005, he attended group composition classes with Karlheinz Stockhausen in Kurten and he has participated in a number of advanced composition courses in the UK and abroad. More recently, he visited Haan for a period of composer mentoring with Antoine Beuger.

His music has been performed in North America, Europe and Asia by many leading advocates of contemporary and early music including: Rolf Hind, Nicolas Hodges, Michael Finnissy, Matthew Owens, Bozzini Quartet (Canada), Elysian Quartet, CoMA London, Exit 128 (USA), Francis Knights & Dulcis Venti, Athelas Sinfonietta (Denmark), L'viv Philharmonic (Ukraine), Shanghai Baroque Orchestra (China) etc.

In 2015, he won the honorable mention award in the L'viv Sacrarium for his 'Benedictus' for Mixed Choir and String Orchestra. In 2016, his 'Three Songs of William Shakespeare' was performed at the British Embassy Open Day at the British Ambassador's Residence in Beijing, China."

"Irene Kurka studied voice at the Musikhochschule Munich with Professor Reri Grist, at the Meadows School of the Arts (SMU,Dallas) with Professor Barbara Hill-Moore and at the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, Canada) with Professor Nancy Hermiston.

The multifaceted soprano received many awards and scholarships. She sings recitals, opera and oratorio throughout Germany, Europe and the United States.

Within the realm of contemporary music, she is in great demand; many composers (Eggert, Corbett, Weeks, Muntendorf, Frey, Kampe, Seither, Brass, Beuger, Pisaro etc.) wrote and dedicated new creative output for her to perform as well as record. She has premiered over 140 pieces.

Since 2009 Irene Kurka has focussed intensively on the repertory for unacoompanied voice (Hildegard von Bingen, Nono, Berio, Cage, Bauckholt, Brass, Beuger, Stäbler, etc.) In 2012 she released a CD with music by Hildegard von Bingen and John Cage; this is a co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk and Wandelweiser Records. 2013 follows with another CD co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk and Wandelweiser Records; this CD considers the topic of "Prayer" and contains music by Brass, Beuger, Boon, Weeks, Corbett and Houben. After the acclaimed debut of her solo program "Prayer" at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in the UK, Irene Kurka has been invited to perform at hcmf//@ l'Auditori in Barcelona. Graham McKenzie, the festival director for both festivals in Huddersfield and Barcelona, was so impressed by the program that he is bring it to the Catalonian metropolis in October 2014.

Ms. Kurka sings with the ensembles e-mex, notabu, musikFabrik, Wandelweiser Ensemble, Klangkonzepte, Schlagquartett Köln, chronophonie, Kölner Vokalsolisten, La Tenerezza, socell 21 and SOPRAKKORDEON.

She has performed, among others, at the Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Kölner Philharmonie, Festival Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Ungarischer Rundfunk Budapest, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, hcmf//@L'auditori Barcelona, Theater Dortmund, A.DEvantgarde-Festival München, Acht Brücken Festival Köln, Festival Muziek Biennale Niederrhein, scene österreich in nrw, Theater Osnabrück, Globusklänge WM 2006, Ensemblia Mönchengladbach, Randspiele Berlin-Zepernick, MOMENTSMUSICAUX AARAU, Hydra Festival Boston, Oberstdorfer Musiksommer, Greifswalder Bachwoche, Fränkischer Sommer, Neuburger Kammeroper, Bayreuther Barock, Trier OPENING."