Sonia Slany : Violin

Contact - MAS, 0181 360 4975, 07973 159 563
EMAIL or visit the Village Life WEBSITE

Having trained as a classical violinist and pianist I joined a rock band, The COMMUNARDS, straight after graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music. This opened my mind to many different options and ways of creating music. This rock and pop music work opened up my rhythmic sense, and led to writing and arranging for bands. I lead Electra Strings which is a recording string group working in pop and rock music. I also created a new group called the Solid Strings to take this even further, as I am interested mainly in redefining the role of strings in all kinds of music. The ensemble collaborated on the RealWorld Recording Weeks 1993 and 1995 and began the current trend for strings in pop music, making many television appearances on Later With Jools Holland as the resident string quartet.

I have written string arrangements for the ensemble to play with the likes of Mark Knopfler, The Cranberries, Teenage Fanclub, Super Furry Animals, The Stranglers, Boy George and Bjork. This arose from recording or performing live with these artists and others including Peter Gabriel, Paul Weller, Laurie Anderson, Massive Attack, William Orbit, Transglobal Underground,Philip Glass, Michael Nyman, P J Harvey and Seal.Part of my job as an arranger is to open people up to more of the possibilities of strings and that musically we play like a band in the Solid Strings. With this in mind I am developing our direction towards more world music's, contemporary and jazz music, to add to our repertoire.

Major live performances with the Solid Strings in 1998 have included concerts in New York with Ryuichi Sakamoto, an Arts Council Contemporary Music Network tour with Egberto Gismonti, and the Elvis Costello/Burt Bacharach concerts in New York and London. We are featuring in the debut this year of Sakamoto's new opera, LIFE, in Japan and London.

On the Village Life label is my current release of original string pieces called "MEETING ELECTRA" with Paul Clarvis on drums and percussion. The main perspective of these pieces is integration on all levels. I have also written music for a new collaboration of the Solid Strings with an improvising trio, in a contemporary band called BUBBLING UNDER, with Stan Sulzmann, Paul CLarvis and Tony Hymas, who have also written works that we've recorded. This will be released in June 1999.

Having studied sound for healing uses for three years I wrote a healing album and released it on cassette myself. The current version of that is based on the monochord, an overtone instrument, and trance music and rhythms. this is due for release in May 1999.

The Solid Strings

Members of Solid Strings are Sonia Slany and Jacqueline Norrie on violins, Sophie Renshaw on viola, and Nick Cooper on cello.

Solid Strings is an ensemble created by Sonia Slany evolving from her work with Electra Strings which she led and founded with Jocelyn Pook to perform pop music, starting the current trend for strings in the 90's as the resident quartet on 'Later With Jools Holland'. Working with many artists from around the world on the RealWorld Recording Weeks 1993 and 1995 provided the inspiration for her to develop a group to play music from all over the world. Peter Gabriel...."very much enjoyed their warmth, openness and willingness to experiment - qualities I do not usually find in classically trained players".

The quartet was created by Sonia to explore the full contemporary field influenced by improvised, folk and jazz inspired music. Major live performances in 1998 have included concerts in New York with Ryuichi Sakamoto and an Arts Council Contemporary Music Network tour with Egberto Gismonti. They are featuring in Sakamoto's new opera "Life", in it's Japanese debut in September 1999, and in London in 2000. A ground breaking group in the field of contemporary cross over, the Solid Strings are creating their own string sound in many kinds of music.

The Solid Strings have performed Sonia's original compositions in Europe and England, written to develop unity and a band feel that is quite unique to a string quartet. They are currently recording with two improvisatory bands, Bubbling Under and Orquestra Mahatma, who are known for integrating tunes from around the world into their unique improvised sound. With Bubbling Under, the group are playing compositions specifically integrating written work with improvisation. These are based on music from Eastern Europe, North American Indian, the Middle East and North Africa.

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