Leo Chadburn talks about his work from the last decade: music that is concerned with the musicality and theatricality of the speaking voice, found text, lists and stream-of-consciousness writing. He has drawn upon models borrowed from visual art, such as the installation work of Susan Hiller and the films of John Smith and Peter Greenaway, to present this material as musical ‘objects’ in bold and simple forms.
Leo Chadburn’s unpredictable, wide-ranging work includes experimental music for new classical ensembles, solo performances that merge his voice with electronic music, and music for artists’ film and installation art. It has been broadcast on BBC Radio 1, 3 and 6 Music, Resonance FM and internationally. His collaborative work with visual artists has been exhibited at Matt’s Gallery, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Serpentine Gallery and the V&A.
Under his Simon Bookish alias, he released a trilogy of albums and numerous remixes for international artists (Owen Pallett, Grizzly Bear, Seb Rochford, Serafina Steer). Releases under his real name include the extended drone piece The Subject / The Object (2020) and the RED & BLUE EP (2015), an elaborate collage of music based on Cold War data and correspondence.
He won a 2016 British Composer Award (The Ivors Composer Awards) for his piece Freezywater, written for Apartment House, and was nominated for a second award the following year for Affix Stamp Here, written for the vocal ensemble EXAUDI.
