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Natasha Barrett (1972, UK) is a composer and performer of electroacoustic art music. Her compositional aesthetics are derived from acousmatic issues (electronic music for a recorded format), but in addition to acousmatic composition she composes for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, multi-media works and computer music improvisation. She currently lives in Norway.

Natasha Barrett began working seriously with electroacoustic composition during a master's degree in analysis and electroacoustic composition, studying with Jonty Harrison at the University of Birmingham (UK). This study also gave her the opportunity to work with BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre) which has greatly influenced her current work, and lead on to a doctoral degree in composition supervised by Denis Smalley, awarded in 1998 at City University (London, UK). Both degrees were funded by the Humanities section of the British Academy. In the same year, a grant from Norges forskningsråd (The Research Council of Norway) enabled her to work as a resident composer at NoTAM (Norsk nettverk for Teknologi, Akustikk og Musikk / Norwegian network for Technology, Acoustics and Music) in Oslo (Norway). Afterwards, she worked for one year as a senior lecturer at the music conservatory in Tromsø (Norway). She is now a freelance composer and teacher, based in Oslo. In her spare time she is active in NICEM (Norsk seksjon av International Confederation for Electroacoustic Music / Norwegian section of the International Confederation for Electroacoustic Music), an organization whose main activity focuses on the performance of electroacoustic music in Norway and abroad.

Her compositional output consists of works for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, dance, theatre, and animation projects, but all activity is rooted in her work with acousmatic tape composition, which features most strongly amongst her creations.

Her work has received many awards, including the Nordic Council Music Prize for 2006, the first prize at Musica Nova (Prague, Czech Republic, 2001), Noroit-Léonce Petitot (Arras, France, 1998), first prize (1998) and a mention (1995) in the Trivium section of the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France), Concurso Internacional de Música Eletroacústica de São Paulo (IV CIMESP, Brazil, 2001), Concours SCRIME (France, 2000), Festival Internacional de Nuevas Tecnologías, Arte y Comunicación Ciber@RT / Ciber@RT International Festival of New Technologies, Art and Communicaton (Spain, 2000), Concours Luigi Russolo (Italy, 1998, 1995) and Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1998). She has received commissions from institutions and performers in Europe and America, and her work is available on numerous CD labels, including empreintes DIGITALes, Cultures électroniques/Mnémosyne Musique Média, CDCM/Centaur, and two privately produced solo CD productions.

• Kraftfelt (Aurora, ACD 5037, 2005)
• Isostasie (empreintes DIGITALes, IMED 0262, 2002)
• Chillies & Shells (independent, NB 980101M, 1998)
• Rocks & Wraiths (independent, NB 970101M, 1997)

• Agora (2000-02), electroacoustic theater
• Angels & Devils (2002)
• Avoid being eaten by mimicking other less palatable species (Abemolpas) (2004)
• Buoyant Charm (1997, 2001), mixed ensemble, and tape
• Caressing Eternity (1994), electric guitar, and tape
• Circadian Cycles (1999), sinfonietta, computer, and tape
• Crack (2007)
• Diabolus (1999), percussion, voice, processing, and tape
• Displaced:Replaced (2001)
• Earth Haze (1996)
• Exploratio Invisibilis (2003)
• … fetters… (2002)
• Hommage à Parmerud (The Fabulous Mr P) (2005)
• Imago (1995)
• Industrial Revelations (2001)
• Liquid Crystal (2000), clarinet, computer, processing, and tape
• Little Animals (1997)
• Mimetic Dynamics (1999), installation
• Mobilis in Mobili (2005)
• Outspan (1999)
• Prince Prospero's Party (2002)
• Push-me-Pull-me (2001), cello, violin, and computer
• Puzzle Wood (1994)
• Racing Through, Racing Unseen (1996)
• Racing Unseen (1996)
• Rain Forest Cycle (2000), installation
• RAS (2000), percussion quartet, processing, and electroacoustic sound
• Receive (1995)
• Red Snow (1998, 2001)
• Red Snow (1998)
• Searching for Perspectives (1994), installation
• Snow and Instability (Microclimate I) (1998), percussion, doublebass, alto flute, and tape
• St Paul's Descending into the Autumn Mist (1997)
• Surf (1997), 2 classical guitars, and tape
• Swaying to See (1995)
• Symbiosis (2002), cello, and computer
• Three Fictions (Northern Mix) (2000)
• Trade Winds (2004-06)
• Trompe l'œil (1994), flute, and tape
• The Utility of Space (2000)
• Viva la Selva! (1999)
• Where Shadows Do for Bodies Stand (2004), classical guitar, and interactive system

• Home page

• http://www.electrocd.com/bio.e/barrett_na.html (with permission)