Composer/Percussionist Susie Ibarra resides in New York and has performed as a soloist and collaborator in various configurations. Known for her innovative style Ibarra creates cultural dialogue through her music.
She is a Yamaha, Vic Firth and Paiste Artist and has recorded over 40 records as a leader and co-leader.
Ibarra composes and performs regularly with her collaborative projects with composer/percussionist Roberto Rodriguez in their eco-electronica duo Electric Kulintang, chidrens world music with Mundo Niños, Susie Ibarra Quartet with featured soloists Bridget Kibbey, Jennifer Choi and Kathleen Supove and Ibarra, as well as various interdisciplinary art collaborations with poet Yusef Komunyakaa and visual artist Makoto Fujimura.
Recent work include :
Mundo Niños workshop and concert at Druga Godba Festival in Slovenia 2011, Electric Kulintang workshop and performance at Teatro Nuove and Fondazione Cini Venezia for Traditional and Contemporary Southeast Asian gong music 2011, Drum Codes by Electric Kulintang premiered at The David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center with CD release this fall 2011 ; Mysteries of Nature for Susie Ibarra Quartet with special guest Pauline Oliveros Roulette 2011, Drum Sketches, solo percussion composed and performed by Ibarra commissioned by Innova Records and The Brecht Forum, Dialects for Electric Kulintang on Plastic Records, Summer Fantasy and Folklore for Susie Ibarra Quartet commissioned by MoMa Summergarden and Jazz at Lincoln Center, A Translation of Silk with Yusef Komunyakaa for poetry, soprano and violin premiered at the Harlem Stage, Canciones de Cuna / Lullabies by Mundo Niños ,Madre Selva a soundtrack video installation by Juan Sanchez in tribute to Ana Mendieta, Kit: Music for Four Pianists commissioned by Ars Nova Workshop, War Horses music by Electric Kulintang and poetry by Yusef Komunyakaa commissioned by Isamu Noguchi Museum, These Trees That Speak commissioned by Ethos Percussion Quartet, Pintados Dream/ The Painteds Dream a concerto for drums , visual art by Makoto Fujimura and chamber orchestra commissioned by American Composers Orchestra and premiered at Zankel Carnegie Hall.
2011-2012 upcoming works include : an upcoming record release of Drum Codes by Electric Kulintang, concerts with Jeff Watts Drum Club, Wadada Leo Smith Golden Quartet and Silver Orchestra, February 2012 premiere of Saturnalia, a performance piece/new music theatre work with music by Ibarra, text by Pulitzer Poet Yusef Komunyakaa, directed by Daniel Fish and produced by Diane Wondisford and Music Theatre Group at Roulette in Brooklyn.
Links featuring Current Work:
Drum Codes by Electric Kulintang
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michal-shapiro/an-environmental-experien_b_865195.html
Song of the Bird King short film
http://vimeo.com/6325014
Makoto Fujimura and Susie Ibarra collaboration
http://www.plywoodpictures.com/samples/gallerycollabo.html
Cultural and Environmental Preservation
Ibarra is interested musically and culturally in the connection of avant-garde and traditional culture. In 2004 Ibarra began work in cultural and environmental preservation with The Philippine Eagle Foundation, and Indigenous and children’s groups in the Philippines ,US, Asia/Pacific and globally. With Composer/Percussionist Roberto Rodriguez , Ibarra Co-founded Song of the Bird King ( SOTBK) in 2009 a New York based organization dedicated to creating multi-media work in music and film that innovates and preserves Indigenous culture and ecology. The organization also features their childrens music program , Mundo Niños, which performs, workshops and teaches children cross-cultural music. She is honored to be a 2010 TED Fellow and 2010 Asia Society Young Leaders Delegate as she continues her documentary work and creating public service projects in music to support Indigenous communities , peace efforts in conflicted areas and children’s communities in the Asia/Pacific region and US.
Song of the Bird King ( SOTBK) will launch a new label for music and film 2012 to include contemporary world music, Indigenous music, children’s educational programming and public service projects.
She has performed and toured internationally at numerous festivals and concert series, and has performed and collaborated with noted artists such as:
Pauline Oliveros, John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Yusef Komunyakaa, Trisha Brown, Tania Leon, Roberto Juan Rodriguez, Makoto Fujimura, Juan Sanchez, Jude Tallichet, Laiwan Chung, Min Xiao-Fen, Derek Bailey, Ikue Mori, Sylvie Courvoisier, William Parker, David S. Ware, Billy Bang, Jeanne Lee, Miya Masaoka, Dr. L Subramaniam, Kavita Krishnamurti, Wang Ping, Luis Francia, Wadada Leo Smith, Mark Dresser, Kathleen Supove, Jennifer Choi, Craig Taborn, Bridget Kibbey, Jade Simmons,, Arto Lindsay, Thurston Moore, Prefuse 73, Yo La Tengo among others.
Ibarra has taught and conducted artist residencies at:
Princeton University Columbia University, PASIC: Percussive Arts Society, Brooklyn College, Dartmouth, Hampshire College, The Banff Centre, Sarah Lawrence College, University of Mass, The Walker Art Center , Mills College, Bard College, Swarthmore College, Fundacio Joan Miro, University of Michigan, Oberlin, Indiana University as well as guest residencies and workshops with American Composers Orchestra and ASCAP and performance and improvisation ensemble for The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.
She received her music diploma from Mannes College of Music , B.A. from Goddard College, and has studied drumset with visionary Milford Graves, the late Vernel Fournier and Buster Smith and Philippine Kulintang with master kulintang artist Danongan Kalanduyan and Datuan and Kanapia Kalanduyan.