Staff Profile

Mariam Rezaei is an award winning composer, turntablist and performer.   She leads experimental arts project TOPH in Newcastle. TOPH curate a regular series of concerts (repeater-radio.com/swarm) along with an annual TUSK FRINGE for TUSK Festival. (tuskmusic.org) 

Her newest releases include ’SKEEN' on Fractal Meat Cuts (fractalmeat.bandcamp.com/album/skeen), ‘The End of The World…Finally’ with Sam Goff on Cacophonous Revival Recordings ( cacophonousrevivalrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/the-end-of-the-world-finally) and ‘Veil’, a collaboration with Stephen Bishop on TUSK Editions (tuskfestival.bandcamp.com/album/veil) and ’SISTER’ with soprano Alya Al-Sultani, on Takuroku (https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/alya-al-sultani-mariam-rezaei-sister/)

Mariam presents a podcast on contemporary turntablism called  ‘These Are The Breaks…’ and is guest DJ on’ Radical Scotland’ by Stewart Smith, both on repeater-radio.com. ‘BOWN’, the third album in the triptych ‘BLUD : SKEEN : BOWN,’ is due for release, late 2021.

Recent notable works include;  ‘The Sound of Hate’, EKKO Festival, Norway, Nov 2021. ‘We Are Not Finished’ with Fevered Sleep, Nov 2021. ‘Wolf’s Tail : II’ for Archipel Festival, April 2021.  ‘Paradoxes’, West Den Haag, Jan 2021. Duos with Cath Tyler and Stephen Bishop for TUSK VIRTUAL 2020 and BBC Radio 3 Late Stages, Oct and Nov 2020.  BBC Radio Freeness ’SKEEN’, July 2020. ‘AGENCY-SKEEN’, AMPLIFY 2020. ‘The 42 Mirrors of Narcissus’ TUSK Festival 2019. ‘Wolf’s Tail’ HCMF 2019. ’TOP///‘  at Tectonics Mosaic/Cresc. Festival 2018, Wiesbaden, for Ilan Volkov, and Ensemble Modern. 

mariam-rezaei.com

Mariam leads experimental arts project TOPH in Gateshead. TOPH curate a regular series of concerts (repeater-radio.com/swarm) along with an annual TUSK FRINGE for TUSK Festival. (tuskmusic.org) 

Her newest releases include ’SKEEN' on Fractal Meat Cuts (fractalmeat.bandcamp.com/album/skeen), ‘The End of The World…Finally’ with Sam Goff on Cacophonous Revival Recordings ( cacophonousrevivalrecordings.bandcamp.com/album/the-end-of-the-world-finally) and ‘Veil’, a collaboration with Stephen Bishop on TUSK Editions (tuskfestival.bandcamp.com/album/veil) and ’SISTER’ with soprano Alya Al-Sultani, on Takuroku (https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/shop/alya-al-sultani-mariam-rezaei-sister/)

Mariam presents a podcast on contemporary turntablism called  ‘These Are The Breaks…’ and is guest DJ on’ Radical Scotland’ by Stewart Smith, both on repeater-radio.com. ‘BOWN’, the third album in the triptych ‘BLUD : SKEEN : BOWN,’ is due for release, late 2021.

Recent notable works include;  ‘The Sound of Hate’, EKKO Festival, Norway, Nov 2021. ‘We Are Not Finished’ with Fevered Sleep, Nov 2021. ‘Wolf’s Tail : II’ for Archipel Festival, April 2021.  ‘Paradoxes’, West Den Haag, Jan 2021. Duos with Cath Tyler and Stephen Bishop for TUSK VIRTUAL 2020 and BBC Radio 3 Late Stages, Oct and Nov 2020.  BBC Radio Freeness ’SKEEN’, July 2020. ‘AGENCY-SKEEN’, AMPLIFY 2020. ‘The 42 Mirrors of Narcissus’ TUSK Festival 2019. ‘Wolf’s Tail’ HCMF 2019. ’TOP///‘  at Tectonics Mosaic/Cresc. Festival 2018, Wiesbaden, for Ilan Volkov, and Ensemble Modern. 

mariam-rezaei.com

Mariam Rezaei talks with Derek Walmsley, Wire Magazine for Tusk Festival 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N75nqgdHhBQ&t=1s

Mariam Rezaei and Cath Tyler, BBC Radio 3 Lateness Stage and TUSK Virtual 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVAc0ibZBfY

Mariam Rezaei and Stephen Bishop, BBC Radio 3 Lateness Stage and TUSK Virtual 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4YpaaMRbG8&t=7s

Older Research:

For the 2012 Cultural Olympiad, she composed for a 14 turntable ensemble of young people, NOISESTRA, to perform with Apartment House at Sage Gateshead, 2012 and Edinburgh 2013.  She was invited by Ilan Volkov as a guest improviser for the BBC Proms 47 2012, the John Cage Centenary Celebration and performed ‘Jig Hop’ with Kathryn Tickell and Folkestra for the BT River of Music Opening of the London Olympics 2012, Trafalgar Square.  

In 2013, Mariam was awarded Best Newcomer 2012 Award at the Journal Culture Awards and in 2014, the ‘Enhancing Communities Award’ from Stonewall and Newcastle Pride, for her work directing LGBT community choir, Northern Proud Voices.  

Notable instrumental commissions include:

Olavsfestdagene in Trondheim, 2016.

for conductor Ilan Volkov, INSiiiDE, Tectonics Festival 2014, Tel Aviv, Israel, ANX, Tectonics Glasgow 2015 and Milk///,Tectonics Oslo 2016. Tectonics Mosaic/Cresc. Festival, Wiesbaden, and composed and performed with Ensemble Modern, TOP///, 2017.

NOH Theatre, composing and performing live with Noh Theatre at Kings Place, May 2016.

‘Stolen Voices’, a collaboration with Rebecca Collins and Johanna Linsley, 2017 - 2020.

BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival 2017 broadcast ‘SEAR’ with ensemble SWARMFRONT. 

Metropolis, Glastonbury 2017.

Glasgow International Festival, TOPH, 2018. 

Counterflows Festival 2018,

BLUD, new album released and performed live at AME, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. 2018. 

The 42 Mirrors of Narcissus, (Turntable quartet and string quartet) TUSK 2019.

Wolf's Tail, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, 2019.

iCon, SPARC, 2019.

FOR THEATRE

Mariam was Music Director in Theatre for ZENDEH’s ‘Flock’, ‘Cinema’ and ‘Transit’, Curious Monkey’s ‘Beats North’, Open Clasp’s ‘Jumping Puddles’, Northern Stage’s ‘Here Is The News…’  and ran music for three shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2015 (Zendeh ‘Cinema’, Northern Stage's ‘Here Is The News..’ and Live Theatre's ‘Your Aunt Fanny’).

In 2017, Mariam spent time developing work with Simon Startin at RSC’s ‘The Other Place’, composing music for Jean Genet’s ‘The Balcony’ and travelled on a rural Scottish tour with Plan B’s dance show ‘CITIZEN’.  Mariam composed for David Almond’s adaptation of ‘A Song for Ella Grey’, based on the ancient tale of Orpheus. Mariam worked with young people, composing, performing and recording music for a pre-recorded one-woman show which received several four star reviews. Mariam also wrote the music for Dan Bye’s touring theatre show ‘Instruction For A Border Crossing’ for Edinburgh Fringe 2017 and Live Theatre's 'From The Sky To Your Hands'.

Theatre productions in 2018 included Lawnmower's Theatre Co. 'The Mist',  Northern Stage's 'The War Of The Worlds', Open Clasp Theatre 'Don't Forget The Birds' and Commonwealth Theatre 'Radical Acts', 'Multiverse Arcade', Unfolding Theatre.

Theatre productions in 2019-20 include Unfolding Theatre 'Hold On, Let Go', 'Present' , Alphabetti Theatre, 'I Bet You Got Stuck On The Dancefloor' Neal Pike/Matt Miller, 'My Mate Ren', Northern Stage 'The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff' and Sticky Theatre 'My Mate, Ren' and 'Sketches' Katie Armstrong.

Mariam works with undergraduate and postgraduate composers across acoustic and electroacoustic composition, performance and improvisation.

Mariam is currently contributing to Composing with Technologies MUS2086, Masters Creative Practice, Masters 'Free Music' Module, 3rd year Composition and Specialist Studies modules.

• Rezaei M. TOP/// For Four Turntables, Conductor and Ensemble Modern. . Cresc Festival / Tectonics Mosaic, Wiesbaden, Germany, 2017, 2017.
• Rezaei M. The Old Police House, Gateshead. . 2020. Submitted.
• Rezaei M. iCon. . Edited by SPARC Symposium 2019. City, University of London. Commissioned by Claudia Molitor. 2019.
• Rezaei M. The 42 Mirrors Of Narcissus. . Edited by TUSK Festival, 2019. 2019.
• Rezaei M. BLUD. . Bandcamp and physical format, Cassette, 2019.
• Rezaei M. Wolf's Tail. . Edited by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (HCMF//). 2019.
• Rezaei M. The Sound of Hate. . Edited by Marhaug L. Ekko Fesitval 2021, Norway: Ekko Fesitval 2021, Norway, 2021.
• Rezaei M. SKEEN. . Bandcamp: Fractal Meat Cuts, 2020.