Amelia Cuni was born in Milan and lived in India for more than 10 years learning dhrupad singing from renowned masters (i.e. R. Fahimuddin Dagar and Bidur Mallik, Pt. Dilip Chandra Vedi). She also studied kathak dance and pakhawaj drumming. She received a three year scholarship from the Indian government. Since 1987, she performs internationally: i.e. solo concerts at Nehru Centre in Bombay, Kamani and I.I.C. in N.Delhi, the House of World Cultures, Podewil, Hebbel-Theater, Akademie der Künste and Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Gasteig in Munich, Zentrum f. Kunst u. Medientechnologie in Karlsruhe, Barbican Centre, Institute for Contemporary Arts and Purcell Room in London, Jisbreker and Tropical Museum in Amsterdam, Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, Filarmonica and Auditorium in Rome, Merkin Hall in NYC, Casa da Musica and Serralves Museum in Porto etc.
Since 1992, she is based in Berlin. Her music is featured on several solo CDs and collaborations. She has recorded for radio and TV productions. Amelia’s projects are of traditional and experimental orientation as well. She collaborates with artists from various backgrounds (early and new music, electronica, ambient, experimental, jazz, folk, dance and theatre.) With her own works she has taken part in international festivals in the UK, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Portugal, India, China, Brazil, Canada and the USA. Together with Werner Durand she has been awarded an ARTIST IN RESIDENCE grant at the Podewil – Zentrum für Aktuelle Kunst in Berlin for 1999. The City of Berlin has featured them in the Festival of Vision 2000-Berlin in Hong Kong and Berlin_London 2001.
She has conceived and performs worldwide the multimedia work ASHTAYAMA – Song of Hours. Composers like Terry Riley, Roland Pfrengle, Chico Mello, Fernando Grillo, Maria de Alvear have written for her voice. She has collaborated on experimental projects with David Toop, Paul Schütze, David Moss a.o.
In 2005. she performed with Terry Riley in a duo concert titled RAGA D’OLTREOCEANO (Contempo/Montefalco, Contemporanea/Udine, Centrod’Arte/Padova).
At the new music festival Maerzmusik/Berliner Festspiele (Berlin, March 2006) she premiered the complete John Cage’s SOLO 58 (18 microtonal ragas) from his SONG BOOKS (1970) coproduced and hosted by: Expozice nové hudby in Brno (Czek Rep.); Musicadhoy in Madrid; Autumn Festival in Budapest; Casa da Música, Porto; Voix Nouvelles – Fondation Royaumont; Handelsbeurs, Gent; in 2007, Amelia will presented this production at the festivals: Ultima, Oslo and Stavanger and the Venice Biennale. Also in California: in Berkeley and Los Angeles.
She teaches Indian singing at the Conservatorio di Vicenza and at the Universität der Künste in Berlin.
http://www.ameliacuni.de/