A Polish composer born 1978.
Agata Zubel studied percussion, singing and composition in Wroclaw, Poland, at the Karol Symanowski High School of Music and the Karol Lipinski University of Music.
As a singer she has performed many contemporary works such as Chantefleurs et Chantefables by Witold Lutoslawski, Luci mie traditrici by Salvatore Sciarrino as also the role of Madeline in The Fall of the House of Usher by Philip Glass.
With the pianist and composer Cezary Duchnowski she forms the duet EllectroVoce, working on improvisation and live vocal treatment. In the line of Cathy Berberian, Zubel explores all the resources of her voice and all the variety of modes of vocal production.
The voice is also present in her compositions, to texts by Samuel Beckett (Cascando for voice, flute, clarinet, violin and cello, 2007; Not I for voice, instrumental ensemble and electronics, 2010), William Shakespeare (Lullaby for mixed chorus, 2013), Heiner Müller (Bildbeschreibung, opera form for two voices, instrumental ensemble and electronics, 2016), as well as texts of Polish writers such as Czeslaw Milosz (Aphorismes sur Milosz, for voice and instrumental ensemble, 2011) and Tadeusz Dabrowski (In between the ebb of thoughts and the flow of sleep, for voice, piano and string orchestra, 2013). She has also written vocal scores without text, such as Parlando for voice and computer (2000), and Madrigals for five voices (2015), a work that elaborates a polyphony of onomatopoeia.
In the domain of instrumental music Zubel has written symphonic works (Fireworks, 2018), concertos (Concerto for violin, 2014; Concerto for piano, 2018), works for ensemble (3x3, the result of her residency with the ensemble 2e2m, 2019), as well as chamber music.
Agata Zubel has received commissions from many different institutions in Europe and the USA: Ensemble Intercontemporain, Klangforum Wien, London Sinfonietta, SWR Radio, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Warsaw Autumn, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony…