ABOUT LARISA MONTANARO
Larisa Montanaro is a professional music-maker in Austin, Texas. She originally moved to Austin to pursue a masters degree in music at the University of Texas. She continued at the university for a doctoral degree in music and completed her studies in 2004. While a student, she specialized in avant-garde twentieth century vocal music and early music from the medieval and renaissance periods. She was a regular soloist with the New Music Ensemble (Dan Welcher, director), the Texas Early Music Project (Danny Johnson, director), and she spent much of her time premiering new works by living composers. Her dissertation was devoted to teaching singers how to perform works for voice and electronics.
Larisa also spent a great deal of time composing electronic music for the concert hall and for dance. Her solo works and collaborations have won awards, including the Russolo Prize in Italy and the Bourge in France, and her music has been performed throughout the world. She has collaborated with international choreographer, Yacov Sharir on several pieces, including D-U-O-S and Body Automatic, which incorporated interactive technology. Her collaboration with artist Alicia Berger in Tacoma, Washington also integrated interactive technology into a cohesive art installation.
In 2002, Larisa became interested in getting back to her roots. So much time spent in the academic world caused her forget about the importance of popular music - not to mention how much fun it can be! She began frequenting local music clubs and within months she was invited to join The Dime Store Poets. Her role in the band grew from back-up vocalist to part-time lead vocalist and keyboard player. In time she began singing with other bands, including the Michael Clay Band and most recently the Rust Tones. In an effort to truly get back to her roots, she has put together a jazz group with some friends that she's met in her Austin travels. Jazz was the first thing she performed when she would frequent clubs as a teenager in northern New York and Vermont. It was also her first regular gig, when she was the singer for the jazz band in high school.
Larisa continues to pursue musical endeavors that do not fall under the 'popular music' umbrella. She performs with the Texas Early Music Project for their mid-winter festival and has sung with the St. Marys Schola Cantorum periodically for the past several years, including their yearly collaboration with the Austin Celtic community for their Celtic Christmas concert. She is invited to perform and lecture at colleges throughout the country and she continues to compose. Her most recent piece was premiered a year ago with the artists and choreographers from the Austin-based Aurora project.
Larisa has been teaching voice for over ten years and continues to do so as time allows, but her newest passion is teaching early childhood music. She is certified in the Music Together program and teaches at the Armstrong Community Music School. Imparting the love of music in small children...and their parents...has been incredibly rewarding.
Larisa also contributes to vocal research and education, primarily as the research assistant for the University of Texas Vocal Arts Lab which she helped to implement with Professor Darlene Wiley beginning in 1998. By incorporating technology into the voice studio they have been able to study aspects of performance and practice. They have developed a course devoted to technology in voice teaching and have used the technology to complete research articles. They have also created several DVDs that assist students in developing basic skills for singing (ie. Breathing and posture/Alexander Technique).
