Moira Smiley Explained

Moira Smiley (Moira Gwendolyn Smiley, born 21 May 1976)[1] is an American singer, composer, lyricist and musician born in New Haven, Vermont. She is a multi-instrumentalist on banjo, accordion, piano, and body percussion.[2] Smiley's music has been influenced by folk styles, shape-note singing, classical song, and jazz.[3] Smiley has performed and collaborated with various artists including Billy Childs,[4] Solas, Jayme Stone's The Lomax Project,[5] choral composer Eric Whitacre,[6] Los Angeles Master Chorale, New World Symphony,[7] and often tours with eclectic indie-pop group Tune-Yards.[8]

Early life and education

Smiley grew up in rural New Haven, Vermont. As a teenager, she began teaching at the Village Harmony Summer Camps. Smiley was among the 9 composers from Village Harmony that were represented on the Endless Light recording in 1996.[9] She entered Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 1994 as a Wells Scholar to study piano performance, and earned her degree in Early Music Vocal Performance.[10] After college she traveled and studied the folk music and multi-part harmonies of Eastern Europe (Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria) as well as the traditional Irish Sean Nós singing.[11]

Career

While at Indiana University she founded the vocal quartet VIDA, which won Bloomington Voice's Battle of the Bands contest.[12] They went on to perform across the U.S. and Europe as part of the IMG Artists roster.[13] She also began performing and recording with early music ensembles such as Paul Hillier’s Theater of Voices, Sinfonye, The Dufay Collective and Fretwork Consort of Viols as well as with American composer, Malcolm Dalglish.[14]

In 2005 she released her first solo album Rua. The following year she released Blink, her first album with her vocal group VOCO. In 2013 Smiley and her group VOCO performed "Music for a Three-Layer Brain" for the TEDxCaltech "The Brain" event.[15] In 2018 she began collaborating with the Seamus Egan Project, performing vocals and accordion. She sang "Days of War", her song written with Séamus Egan for a concert on Front Row Boston.[16] In 2018 she released her second solo album, Unzip the Horizon, which The Bluegrass Situation called "the work of a significant talent finding new possibilities in her voice."[17] In 2018 and 2019, Smiley led an immersive a cappella experience with the Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s BIG SING California event.[18] In February, 2021 she released the vocal album, In Our Voices. [19]

Awards

In 2002, Smiley won the Barbara Thornton Memorial Scholarship for Medieval Music, given by the Sequentia Ensemble.

In 2007, Smiley (along with fellow composers Ron Bartlett, Charlie Campagna) won the annual Lester Horton Award for "Music for Dance"[20] for a score commissioned by choreographers Regina Klenjoski and Monica Favand for Klenjoski’s The Black Drim, which was subsequently performed by Smiley & VOCO (along with the TRIP Music Ensemble) for the Synergy concert at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, in LA.[21]

In 2007, her ensemble Moira Smiley & VOCO were named national champions of the 30+ year old Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival.[22]

Discography

Solo albums

With VOCO

With VIDA

Soundtracks

External links

Notes and References

  1. Vermont Vital Records Request Service (https://secure.vermont.gov/VSARA/vitalrecords/search-tool.php)
  2. DeLoach. Doug. August 2018. Moira Smiley Unzip The Horizon. Gramophone. 96. 1164. 97. Gale.
  3. Web site: Mohr-Pietsch. Sara. February 16, 2014. Moira Smiley. live. November 27, 2021. BBC Radio 3 The Choir: The Choral Interview podcast. Podcast interview. November 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211127213326/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02slq82.
  4. News: Mitchell. Cicely. November 17, 2016. Jazz Picks: Billy Childs with Alicia Olatuja and Moira Smiley at NCSU. The News & Observer. Raleigh, NC. NewsBank.
  5. News: Goldberg. Brianna. May 7, 2015. Retracing the steps of a folk pioneer: Toronto musician revisits remarkable field recordings of legendary Alan Lomax. Toronto Star. ProQuest.
  6. Web site: July 21, 2018. Big Sing California. live. December 9, 2021. Los Angeles Master Chorale. June 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210613043703/https://www.lamasterchorale.org/big-sing-california/.
  7. Web site: Moira Smiley. 2021-11-30. Bandsintown. 2022-02-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20220218212635/https://www.bandsintown.com/a/195383-moira-smiley?came_from=251. live.
  8. Web site: 2015-04-14. tUnE-yArDs blesses Houston with the Nikki Nack tour. 2021-11-30. Coog Radio – University of Houston Radio. en-US. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130192854/https://coogradio.com/2015/04/tune-yards-blesses-houston-with-the-nikki-nack-tour/. live.
  9. Cooke. Nym. Winter 1999. The Shapenote Album. American Music. University of Illinois Press. 17. 4. 472. 10.2307/3052661 . 3052661 . Gale.
  10. Web site: MOIRA SMILEY Composer . Los Angeles Master Chorale . 30 November 2021 . 28 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211128005110/https://lamasterchorale.org/moira-smiley . live .
  11. News: Celsi. Anny. August 15, 2012. For Moira Smiley, Global Music Journey Transcends Time. Voice of America News / FIND.
  12. Bambarger. Bradley. May 4, 1996. Breaking away: Mysteries of Life, Vida, El Nino, Salaam Blossom in Bloomington. Billboard. 108. 18 . 1. ProQuest.
  13. Web site: Chorale. Los Angeles Master. Moira Smiley. 2021-11-30. lamasterchorale.org. en. 2021-11-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20211128005110/https://lamasterchorale.org/moira-smiley. live.
  14. News: Gullard. Marie. April 23, 2010. Strathmore pays homage to Mother Earth with special show. 20. Washington Examiner. Washington, D.C.. ProQuest.
  15. Web site: Moira Smiley tedxcaltech.com. 2021-11-30. www.tedxcaltech.com. 2021-06-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20210605234115/http://www.tedxcaltech.com/content/moira-smiley.html. live.
  16. Web site: March 1, 2018. The Seamus Egan Project — Live At Fraser. live. November 28, 2021. WGBH Boston NPR. November 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211128145318/https://www.wgbh.org/celtic/2018/04/23/the-seamus-egan-project-live-at-fraser.
  17. Web site: Hochman. Steve. March 28, 2018. The Giving of Voice: A Conversation with Moira Smiley.. live. November 28, 2021. The Bluegrass Situation. November 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211128060143/https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/the-giving-of-voice-a-conversation-with-moira-smiley/.
  18. Web site: 2019. Big Sing with Moira Smiley. live. November 27, 2021. Los Angeles Master Chorale. November 27, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211127221826/https://www.lamasterchorale.org/showinfo.php?id=24.
  19. Web site: 2021. Jukebox Quartet Statewide Tour. live. 2021-10-28. Vermont Symphony Orchestra. en-US. 2021-10-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028231708/https://www.vso.org/event/jukebox-quartet-statewide-tour-artsriot/.
  20. News: Heffley. Lynne. May 7, 2007. L.A. dance awards honor diverse mix. Los Angeles Times. December 4, 2021. November 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130142244/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-07-et-horton7-story.html. live.
  21. News: Haskins. Ann. September 20, 2006. Synergy. LA Weekly. December 1, 2021. December 1, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211201164842/https://www.laweekly.com/synergy/. live.
  22. Web site: 2007. National Champions. live. November 27, 2021. Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival. November 28, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211128000456/https://www.harmony-sweepstakes.com/champions.php.
  23. Web site: Moira Smiley – Unzip The Horizon / a RootsWorld review. 2021-11-30. www.rootsworld.com. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130192854/https://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/smiley-18.shtml. live.
  24. Web site: Farnsworth. Chris. Moira Smiley and VOCO, 'In Our Voices'. 2021-11-30. Seven Days. en. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130192856/https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/moira-smiley-and-voco-in-our-voices/Content?oid=32503822. live.
  25. Web site: LAUGHTER OUT OF TEARS – MOIRA SMILEY & VOCO. 2021-11-30. FolkWorks. en-US. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130192854/https://folkworks.org/review/laughter-out-of-tears-moira-smiley-voco/. live.

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