Welcome to the second episode of IMC’s weekly BAN BAM podcast, where we explore creative work from inspiration to execution, through conversations with a host of women working in jazz and creative improvised music today.
Our guest on the show today is Cora Venus Lunny (they/them), an acclaimed composer and violinist, known for their incredible technical skill and daring improvisation, and one of three recipients of the BAN BAM commissioning award in 2020.
We talk about the development of their work for the BAN BAM commission, their love of the creative freedom of improvisation, the importance of true self expression and tuning into your unconscious, and the importance of acknowledging the emotional aspect of music, for the listener and the musician
They discuss their first steps into improvisation through the Irish based contemporary-traditional group Yurodny, the function as an artist to process culture and the times we live in, and how human nature has a natural connection with music since the beginning of time, despite the pressure of capitalism and it’s push to commodify everything.
Cora Venus Lunny is an improvising musician with a strong classical background and extensive experience in contemporary classical, improvised, recorded and folk music. They performed around the world as a soloist and chamber musician before specialising in contemporary music, Cora has been exploring improvisation and composition for many years.
After releasing 1943, a self-produced EP of covers and originals, Cora’s 2nd album, Terminus Conscientiae, part of Diatribe Records’s Solo Series, was a spontaneously composed response to Bartok’s sonata for solo violin.
Since this time, free improvisation has become a very strong focus for Cora, and their duo with Izumi Kimura is one of their favourite projects of all time. As a member of Yurodny, Cora has also written for them, and with Kate Ellis, was commissioned in 2016 to write a piece for the 1916 commemorations. In 2020 Cora’s piece “Theft”, commissioned by the NSQF as part of their Beethoven Reflected Series, was premiered by the Ficino Quartet.
This podcast episode features a track from a new album ‘Folding’ by Izumi Kinura, Cora Venus Lunny and field recordist Adrian Kelly soon to be released on Farpoint Records.
Improvised Music Company (IMC) is an Irish Arts Council funded resource organisation for Irish and Irish-based jazz musicians, and a specialist promoter of jazz, improvised and ethnic music in Ireland.
BAN BAM is an activity which began in 2017 to develop and support the work of women in jazz and improvised music, particular female instrumentalists and composers which are underrepresented in this genre.
As well as this new podcast series, BAN BAM activities in 2020-21 includes the Commissioning Award from IMC in partnership with Moving On Music. Performances of the new works will be announced later in 2021.
The next BAN BAM Commissions will be awarded in 2022.
Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/imcmusic
Check out lots of great performance and artist resources on our YouTube
@improvisedmusic on Twitter and Instagram
Our podcast theme tune is a track by Irish jazz artist Justin Carroll's Togetherness.