Ana Maria links the spontaneity of improvisation with fully composed scores. Often she takes part in the performances of her own works and can be seen on stage on the keyboards or as a laptop artist. At the same time, she also works with the acoustic and architectural conditions of the performance space when creating her compositions, installations and scenic works. Ana is due to perform at Klangwerkstatt in November, celebrating 30 years of its neue musik festival.
FACTS:
1: “I was born in another city that was also called Buenos Aires” (Jorge L. Borges)
2: More support for Taiwan’s democracy!
3: Turn a hundred turns, turn a thousand turns turn often and turn always.
QUESTIONS:
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Simple things of daily life, many times banal events which generate moments of revelation. These are the types of perceptions that triggers ideas.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
When I was 5 years old, I started studying guitar, but since I didn’t like the repertoire, I switched the instrument to piano. Then I started improvising and making up songs.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Radiohead – OK Computer
Laurie Anderson – Big Science
Prince – Around the world in a day
David Bowie – Hours
Elis Regina – Falso Brilhante
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Experimentation, diversity, open minds.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
All the places near the river.
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Plane pilot.
7. What was the last record/music you bought?
Recently on my trip to Sao Paulo I found the old album ‘Ney Matogrosso’ by Ney Matogrosso a great artist and performer.
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
I would like to continue collaborating with Taiwanese and Cambodian artists.
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
My last project ‘Drops & Seeds’ in CTM Festival 2020.
As a spectator the Anthony McCall installation in Hamburger Bahnhof.
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Technology is the mediator, the translator between the real world and my artistic ideas.
11. Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career/art?
I have a psychologist sister who have a great sensitivity towards the arts, although she lives in Buenos Aires whenever we see each other we go to visit exhibitions and concerts.
Ana Maria Rodriguez studied composition, piano, history, and philosophy in Buenos Aires. She moved to Barcelona where she additionally studied electronic music and algorithmical composition at Phonos Studios. In 1993 the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, invited her to develop several audio projects for its Artificial Intelligence faculty. Since this time Rodriguez has composed many pieces, concert installations, mixed media or music theater works for a wide range of instruments using live-electronics and computer technology.
In 2005 she founded the only women ensemble ‘Les Femmes Savantes’ in which Ana Maria performs as an object, keyboard and laptop player. She collaborated with many artists from different genres like Melita Dahl, Andreas Köpnick and Joanna Rajkowska. Since 2015 she develops in close cooperation with the Belgian director Ingrid von Wantoch Rekowski and the American stage designer Fred Pommerehn for the Music Theater Installation ‘The Stereoscope City’ with performances in Reims (2015), Marseille (2016), Berlin (2016), Hannover (2017) and Kaohsiung (Taiwan/2019).
Her works has been performed at major festivals throughout Europe and abroad: Berlin in Lights (Carnegie Hall NYC), Foro International de Música Nueva Mexico City, Les Musiques Marseille and CTM Festival to name a few. Ana Maria Rodriguez lives and works in Berlin.
Photo © Uwe Walter
