Magda Mayas is a pianist and curator currently based in Berlin, Germany. Mayas studied jazz and improvisation at Universität der Künste, Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2001 under Misha Mengelberg and completed a diploma at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler under Georg Graewe in 2005. During this time she began developing a specific set of techniques for inside-piano performance. Mayas has concentrated her musical investigations on the piano and its sonic possibilities, utilizing extended techniques, amplification and preparations as a process of abstraction, whilst focusing on the physicality of both internal and external parts of the piano.
As a continuation of this research Mayas founded the festival Tasten-Berliner Klaviertage featuring contemporary and innovative approaches for the piano. Mayas performs internationally in a variety of roles as interpreter, solo and in collaboration with a large number of musicians and composers: in a duo with Tony Buck, in the trio Phono Phono with Michael Renkel and Sabine Vogel, the Quartet Mayas/Nutters/ Olsen/Glavez and as part of the Amsterdam based N-Collective. She has appeared in various festivals including The Total Music Meeting, Konfrontationen and Festival of Exiles. Over the years Mayas has performed with many leading figures in improvisation such as Johannes Bauer, Wilbert de Joode, Steve Heather, Annette Krebs, Christoph Kurzmann, Andy Moore, Thomas Lehn,Tristan Honsinger, Frank Gratkowski and Michael Moore.
www.myspace.com/antheacaddyandmagdamayas
www.n-collective.com
www.tasten.org
Born in London England 1962, Andy Moor began his musical life in Edinburgh, Scotland playing guitar with the band Dog Faced Hermans, a multi faceted eclectic group that mixed energetic post punk energy with traditional tunes and improvisations….
In 1990 he moved to the Netherlands after an invitation to join Dutch band The Ex and continues to be a full time member of this band….the openness and versatility of the musicians in this group has brought them into contact with many musicians from different scenes and backgrounds including Tom Cora (cello), Han Bennink (drums), Wolter Wierbos (trombone), Djibril Diabate (kora) John Butcher (sax) and Anne James Chaton (sound poet). In 95 he performed his first series of completely improvised concerts as a duet with Terrie Ex, and later released a video of the best performances. In 1996 he began another group with Tony Buck (Necks), Joe Williamson and Leonid Soybelman (Ne Zhdali) called Kletka Red…fusing traditional Klezmer, Greek and Russian songs with their own frantic styles of playing.
In more recent years Andy has involved himself more with the Amsterdam improvisation scene and has worked alongside electronic musicians as well as composing soundtracks for films and he performing regularly with dancers such as Magpie music and Dance Company with Katie Duck.