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Suzanne Ciani

SUPPORT: Jeremiah Chiu +  Marta Sofia Honer

SUZANNE CIANI

Suzanne Ciani is an early pioneer of electronic music in the United States. She earned a master’s degree in composition at the University of California at Berkeley and collaborated with Stanford University’s John Chowning and Max Matthews, two of the founders of electronic music. In the early 1970s, she began working with synthesizer designer Don Buchla, and her knowledge and passion for the Buchla synthesizer led to a very successful career as a synthesizer player and commercial sound designer. Throughout the ’70s, her work led to the creation of iconic sounds for commercials and video games. In 1981, Ciani became the first woman to score a major full-length Hollywood release, Lily Tomlin’s The Incredible Shrinking Woman. The following year, she began a career as a solo artist, producing instrumental music that combined electronic and acoustic instruments, picking up five Grammy nominations and numerous industry awards. Over the last two years, her career has come full circle with a return to her electronic roots, performing solo modular synthesizer concerts. She was a featured artist at Moogfest 2016, and a documentary film of her career is currently in production. Ciani was appointed an Ambassador of Artistry in Education at Berklee for the 2016–2017 academic year. The Ambassador of Artistry in Education program brings the highest caliber musicians and artists from around the world to work with students and faculty directly. Creating interdisciplinary projects that result in new works, the ambassador models the musician/artist as a multitalented, multigenre professional. The ambassador also serves as a liaison between the college and the larger art and music worlds, connecting students and faculty with artists beyond Berklee’s current borders.

JEREMIAH CHIU

Jeremiah Chiu is a Los Angeles-via-Chicago artist and musician with Chicago’s venerable International Anthem Recording Co., whom released his duo record with Marta Sofia Honer, Recordings from the Åland Islands, in March 2022 and his solo record, In Electric Time, in September 2023. In Chicago, Chiu was an active member of the notoriously inter-connected improvisational and experimental music scenes. Chiu’s musical CV to that point included work with Icy Demons and Chandeliers, as well as visual art as Some All None. In Los Angeles, he is an electronic music composer and sound-artist, where he performs and composes solo as well as with variety of collaborators including Josh Johnson, Anna Butterss, Greg Uhlmann, Booker Stardrum, Celia Hollander, Dustin Wong, and Sam Prekop. Most recently, he has toured with Sam Prekop & John Mcentire, was the opener for M83 on their U.S. Fantasy Tour, and performed at MOCA Los Angeles.
Marta Sofia Honer  a viola and violin performer, session player, and educator in Los Angeles. Working in both classical and contemporary fields, Honer’s versatility in different musical settings has garnered her credits alongside Beyoncé, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Chloe x Halle, Angel Olsen, Fleet Foxes, including four Grammy nominations. She regularly records for film and television, including scores for The Good Place, Promising Young Woman, Deadly Illusions and Star Trek: Lower Decks. As a chamber musician, Honer participated in the Industry’s experimental opera production Sweet Land and is a regular member of Sonic Open Orchestra, who recently recorded Gavin Bryar’s The Sinking of the Titanic. Alongside performing and recording, Honer is a faculty member at California State University.