A Year After Svjetlana Bukvich's Debut Release “EVOLUTION"

NEW YORK - May 26, 2015 - PRLog -- e(Wednesday, May 27, 2015 – New York, New York) – Since the release and premiere of EVOLUTION in April of 2014 and now with several commissions under her belt, Svjetlana Bukvich is becoming a go-to musical collaborator. She nourishes the artistic vision of choreographers, film makers and other visual artists. Bukvich composes mostly with acoustic strings and the Minimoog synthesizer paired with various other keyboards and software amidst her own tuning, and recorded sounds such as her voice, voices of artists from the ethno, hip-hop and opera worlds, breathing, feet moving and other noises. Bukvich has surfaced as a respected multi-media musician on the New York music scene.

On May 28^th  Carolyn Dorfman Dance’s, “INTERIOR DESIGNS,” will open at New York Live Arts with four performances as part of a week of a series of cutting-edge contemporary dance performances. INTERIOR DESIGNS is a visually stunning tour de force that incorporates a commissioned score, by Bosnian born and now New York resident, composer and arranger Svjetlana Bukvich. The piece premiered at Dorfman’s 30 Year Gala Celebration at Kean University in the spring of 2013 and was listed as one of the top ten dance events in 2013 by Robert Johnson, Dance Critic of The Star-Ledger. He also wrote, “Interior Designs” exhibits a dazzling ingenuity.” “INTERIOR DESIGNS,” was also performed at the Bickford Theater in Morristown, New Jersey, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater as part of APAP 2015, Sarajevo National Theater and the Miami Dance Festival in April of 2015.

EVOLUTION written, arranged and produced by Bukvich with her co-executive producer Bob Lord, features five original tracks with a total running time of 42:59 that span Bukvich’s time living and leaving Sarajevo as a young woman.  It chronicles her life amongst a torn and tattered city and her coming to the United States and in particular New York City to create a new life for herself. Bukvich, a professor of electronic instruments music production at New York University, a mother to an 11 year old son, shares her vivid memories from her own happy childhood. She savors her American life and has been exploring ways to introduce her work to global audiences in collaboration and partnership with Big Round Records. The label based out of North Hampton, New Hampshire, is part of Parma Recordings and distributed by Naxos.  It is known for supporting artists that cross weave genres and experiment with sounds and compositions, all with strong classical training. Bukvich premiered EVOLUTION at NYC’s The Cutting Room and she performed parts of the album live at Provincetown Playhouse, Spectrum and Roulette all in NYC. In 2014 she was awarded the Pratt Faculty Development Grant and the Artist Residency at Marble House Project in Vermont. She has presented her work with top European microtonalists in Knin, Croatia in the summer of 2104 and returned to her place of birth in February of 2015 to perform at the Sarajevo Winter Festival, where her work was celebrated and acknowledged.  Most recently she became an Advisory Board member for Modern Diplomacy International based out of Vienna, and created a quarterly column published in her name – “Cross-Current Art, My Tiny Obsessions.”

EVOLUTION, which was on the 57^th Grammy voting ballot for best classical alternative album continues to receive praise and recognition and has given Bukvich the boost of confidence desired to continue her work and collaborations. When asked about the process of collaborating Bukvich explains, “I like to study the artist’s work and find a common thread between us even if our backgrounds are vastly different,  it is our form of expression that binds us. I appreciate the chance to delve into another artist’s discipline and steps of inspiration. When I worked with Carolyn Dorfman on INTERIOR DESIGNS, I realized there is something very wise about her, and I began to think I understood the themes in her work.  I believed we would work well together. The material went back and forth between the videographer, choreographer and me. I spent time in the company's community, watching the dancers to get a sense of who they are as people and to understand the movements.

The deeply immersive quality of the piece was right along the lines of my training in integrated media and my vision for what my music can do in "total theater.” Things fell into place easily, it was very exciting and I was inspired by the project. Each experience with other artists fuels me to stretch myself further and further into my own work.”

ABOUT SVJETLANA BUKVIC: Svjetlana Bukvich grew up during the wildly creative music scene in Sarajevo's eighties, when music and technology began their life-long affair. Her genre-bending performances weld together symphonic-rock and experimental progressive rock with world/classical and electronic soundscapes. Bukvich was honored in 2013 when she won the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship in Music/Sound Award. Bukvich has various degrees including an M.F.A. in Electronic Arts, from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Bachelor Degree in Composition and a Bachelor Degree in Musicology from Sarajevo University's Music Academy, Yugoslavia. The degrees obtained in Sarajevo are equivalent to a Masters Degree in composition in America.  Among her mentors are Philip Glass, Carl Stone and Miroslav Rogala. Bukvich’s album EVOLUTION was released in the spring of 2014 on Big Round Records. Bukvich is currently working on her sophomore release, tentatively titled LENKORAN, named after a 230 year old line of Arabian horses bred in the mountains, not far from Sarajevo. The album will contain music developed for movement. For more information please visit: www.svjetlanamusic.com

WHAT CRITICS ARE SAYING:

"One of the most interesting electronic writers around. Bukvich writes electronic and acoustic pieces that are passionate, articulate, sophisticated and moving."- Mark Greenfest, SoundWordSight

"The work fuses driving rhythms and non-western microtonal tunings with a groove–filled background track that at times crosses into the genre of ambient electronica… Eastern European flavors and vibrant urban energy... a compelling performance, bringing out the sensuality, exoticism, and vitality of the music.  - Cornelius Dufallo, New Music Connoisseur

About KeyMedia Public Relations: KMPR is a New York City Based Public Relations and Production Company with a Focus on the Performing Arts, Health & Wellness and Non-Profits. Its founder, Denise Marsa, is an award winning international recording artist, producer and songwriter. www.keymediapublicrelations.com