Larynx
Anatomy of the larynx, anterolateral view
Endoscopic image of a human larynx

The larynx (plural larynges), commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals (including humans) involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume. The larynx houses the vocal folds (commonly but improperly termed the "vocal cords"), which are essential for phonation. The vocal folds are situated just below where the tract of the pharynx splits into the trachea and the esophagus.

Anatomical position and description[link]

In adult humans, the larynx is found in the anterior neck at the level of the C3–C6 vertebrae. It connects the inferior part of the pharynx (hypopharynx) with the trachea. The laryngeal skeleton consists of nine cartilages: three single (epiglottic, thyroid and cricoid) and three paired (arytenoid, corniculate, and cuneiform). The hyoid bone is not part of the larynx, though it is connected to it. The larynx extends vertically from the tip of the epiglottis to the inferior border of the cricoid cartilage. Its interior can be divided in supraglottis, glottis and subglottis.

In newborn infants, the larynx is initially at the level of the C2–C3 vertebrae, and is further forward and higher relative to its position in the adult body.^[1] The larynx descends as the child grows.^[2][3]

Function[link]

Sound is generated in the larynx, and that is where pitch and volume are manipulated. The strength of expiration from the lungs also contributes to loudness.^[4]

Fine manipulation of the larynx is used to generate a source sound with a particular fundamental frequency, or pitch. This source sound is altered as it travels through the vocal tract, configured differently based on the position of the tongue, lips, mouth, and pharynx. The process of altering a source sound as it passes through the filter of the vocal tract creates the many different vowel and consonant sounds of the world's languages as well as tone, certain realizations of stress and other types of linguistic prosody. The larynx also has a similar function as the lungs in creating pressure differences required for sound production; a constricted larynx can be raised or lowered affecting the volume of the oral cavity as necessary in glottalic consonants.

The vocal folds can be held close together (by adducting the arytenoid cartilages), so that they vibrate (see phonation). The muscles attached to the arytenoid cartilages control the degree of opening. Vocal fold length and tension can be controlled by rocking the thyroid cartilage forward and backward on the cricoid cartilage (either directly by contracting the cricothyroids or indirectly by changing the vertical position of the larynx), by manipulating the tension of the muscles within the vocal folds, and by moving the arytenoids forward or backward. This causes the pitch produced during phonation to rise or fall. In most males the vocal folds are longer and with a greater mass, producing a deeper pitch.

The vocal apparatus consists of two pairs of mucosal folds. These folds are false vocal folds (vestibular folds) and true vocal folds (folds). The false vocal folds are covered by respiratory epithelium, while the true vocal folds are covered by stratified squamous epithelium. The false vocal folds are not responsible for sound production, but rather for resonance. The exceptions to this are found in Tibetan Chant and Kargyraa, a style of Tuvan throat singing. Both make use of the false vocal folds to create an undertone. These false vocal folds do not contain muscle, while the true vocal folds do have skeletal muscle.

During swallowing, the backward motion of the tongue forces the epiglottis over the glottis' opening to prevent swallowed material from entering the larynx which leads to the lungs; the larynx is also pulled upwards to assist this process. Stimulation of the larynx by ingested matter produces a strong cough reflex to protect the lungs.

Innervation[link]

The larynx is innervated by branches of the vagus nerve on each side. Sensory innervation to the glottis and laryngeal vestibule is by the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve. The external branch of the superior laryngeal nerve innervates the cricothyroid muscle. Motor innervation to all other muscles of the larynx and sensory innervation to the subglottis is by the recurrent laryngeal nerve. While the sensory input described above is (general) visceral sensation (diffuse, poorly localized), the vocal fold also receives general somatic sensory innervation (proprioceptive and touch) by the superior laryngeal nerve.

Injury to the external laryngeal nerve causes weakened phonation because the vocal folds cannot be tightened. Injury to one of the recurrent laryngeal nerves produces hoarseness, if both are damaged the voice may or may not be preserved, but breathing becomes difficult.

Intrinsic muscles associated with the larynx[link]

• Cricothyroid muscles lengthen and stretch the vocal folds.
• Posterior cricoarytenoid muscles abduct and externally rotate the arytenoid cartilages, resulting in abducted vocal folds.
• Lateral cricoarytenoid muscles adduct and internally rotate the arytenoid cartilages, which can result in adducted vocal folds.
• Transverse arytenoid muscle adducts the arytenoid cartilages, resulting in adducted vocal folds.^[5]
• Oblique arytenoid muscles narrow the laryngeal inlet by constricting the distance between the arytenoid cartilages.
• Vocalis muscles increase the thickness of the chords changing the tone.
• Thyroarytenoid muscles - sphincter of vestibule, narrowing the laryngeal inlet.

Notably, the only muscle capable of separating the vocal cords for normal breathing is the posterior cricoarytenoid. If this muscle is incapacitated on both sides, the inability to pull the vocal folds apart (abduct) will cause difficulty breathing. Bilateral injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve would cause this condition. It is also worth noting that all muscles are innervated by the recurrent laryngeal branch of the vagus except the cricothyroid muscle, which is innervated by the external laryngeal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (a branch of the vagus).

Extrinsic muscles associated with the larynx[link]

• Thyrohyoid muscles
• Sternothyroid muscles
• Omohyoid muscles
• Inferior constrictor muscles
• Digastric
• Stylohyoid
• Mylohyoid
• Geniohyoid
• Hyoglossus

Descended larynx[link]

In infant humans and most animals, the larynx is situated very high in the throat—a position that allows it to couple more easily with the nasal passages, so that breathing and eating are not done with the same apparatus. However, some aquatic mammals, large deer, and adult humans have descended larynges. Adult humans cannot raise the larynx enough to directly couple it to the nasal passage. Despite its presence in deer, proponents of the aquatic ape hypothesis claim that the similarity between the descended larynx in humans and aquatic mammals supports their theory.^[6]

Pioneering work on the structure and evolution of the larynx was carried out in the 1920s by the British comparative anatomist Victor Negus, culminating in his monumental work The Mechanism of the Larynx (1929). Negus, however, pointed out that the descent of the larynx reflected the reshaping and descent of the human tongue into the pharynx. This process is not complete until age six to eight years. Some researchers, such as Philip Lieberman, Dennis Klatt, Brant de Boer and Kenneth Stevens using computer-modeling techniques have suggested that the species-specific human tongue allows the vocal tract (the airway above the larynx) to assume the shapes necessary to produce speech sounds that enhance the robustness of human speech. Sounds such as the vowels of the words see and do, [i] and [u], (in phonetic notation) have been shown to be less subject to confusion in classic studies such as the 1950 Peterson and Barney investigation of the possibilities for computerized speech recognition. In contrast, though other species have low larynges their tongues remains anchored in their mouths and their vocal tracts cannot produce the range of speech sounds of humans. The ability to lower the larynx transiently in some species extends the length of their vocal tract, which as Fitch showed creates the acoustic illusion that they are larger. Research at Haskins Laboratories in the 1960s showed that speech allows humans to achieve a vocal communication rate that exceeds the fusion frequency of the auditory system by fusing sounds together into syllables and words. The additional speech sounds that the human tongue enables us to produce, particularly [i], allow humans to unconsciously infer the length of the vocal tract of the person who is talking, a critical element in recovering the phonemes that make up a word. ^[7]

Disorders of the larynx[link]

There are several things that can cause a larynx to not function properly.^[8] Some symptoms are hoarseness, loss of voice, pain in the throat or ears, and breathing difficulties. Larynx transplant is a rare procedure. The world's first successful operation took place in 1998 at the Cleveland Clinic, and the second took place in October 2010 at the University of California Medical Center in Sacramento.^[9]

• Acute laryngitis is the sudden inflammation and swelling of the larynx. It is caused by the common cold or by excessive shouting. It is not serious. Chronic laryngitis is caused by smoking, dust, frequent yelling, or prolonged exposure to polluted air. It is much more serious than acute laryngitis.

• Presbylarynx is a condition in which age-related atrophy of the soft tissues of the larynx results in weak voice and restricted vocal range and stamina. Bowing of the anterior portion of the vocal folds is found on laryngoscopy.

• Ulcers may be caused by the prolonged presence of an endotracheal tube.

• Polyps and nodules are small bumps on the vocal folds caused by prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke and vocal misuse, respectively.

• Two related types of cancer of the larynx, namely squamous cell carcinoma and verrucous carcinoma, are strongly associated with repeated exposure to cigarette smoke and alcohol.

• Vocal cord paresis is weakness of one or both vocal folds that can greatly impact daily life.

• Idiopathic laryngeal spasm.

• Laryngopharyngeal reflux is a condition in which acid from the stomach irritates and burns the larynx. Similar damage can occur with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).^[10][11]

• Laryngomalacia is a very common condition of infancy, in which the soft, immature cartilage of the upper larynx collapses inward during inhalation, causing airway obstruction.

• Laryngeal perichondritis, the inflammation of the perichondrium of laryngeal cartilages, causing airway obstruction.

Cartilages[link]

There are nine cartilages, three unpaired and three paired, that support the mammalian larynx and form its skeleton. The unpaired cartilages of the larynx are the thyroid, cricoid and epiglottis. The paired cartilages of the larynx are the arytenoids, corniculate, and the cuneiforms.

• Thyroid Cartilage: This forms the Adam's apple. It is usually larger in males than in females. The thyrohyoid membrane is a ligament associated with the thyroid cartilage that connects the thyroid cartilage with the hyoid bone.

• Cricoid cartilage: A ring of hyaline cartilage that forms the inferior wall of the larynx. It is attached to the top of trachea.

• Epiglottis: A large, spoon-shaped piece of elastic cartilage. During swallowing, the pharynx and larynx rise. Elevation of the pharynx widens it to receive food and drink; elevation of the larynx causes the epiglottis to move down and form a lid over the glottis, closing it off.

• Paired Arytenoid Cartilage: Of the paired cartilages, the arytenoid cartilages are the most important because they influence the position and tension of the vocal folds. These are triangular pieces of mostly hyaline cartilage located at the posterosuperior border of the cricoid cartilage.

• Paired Corniculate Cartilage: Horn-shaped pieces of elastic cartilage located at the apex of each arytenoid cartilage.

• Paired Cuneiform Cartilage: Club-shaped pieces of elastic cartilage located anterior to the corniculate cartilages.

Non-mammalian larynges[link]

Most tetrapod species possess a larynx, but its structure is typically simpler than that found in mammals. The cartilages surrounding the larynx are apparently a remnant of the original gill arches in fish, and are a common feature, but not all are always present. For example, the thyroid cartilage is found only in mammals. Similarly, only mammals possess a true epiglottis, although a flap of non-cartilagenous mucosa is found in a similar position in many other groups. In modern amphibians, the laryngeal skeleton is considerably reduced; frogs have only the cricoid and arytenoid cartilages, while salamanders possess only the arytenoids.^[12]

Vocal folds are found only in mammals, and a few lizards. As a result, many reptiles and amphibians are essentially voiceless; frogs use ridges in the trachea to modulate sound, while birds have a separate sound-producing organ, the syrinx.^[12]

Shape[link]

It is tube shaped and is 4.1 inches long.^{[citation needed]}

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Larynx

• Histology of the Vocal Folds
• Pharynx
• Jeffrey Laitman

References[link]

Mal Webb
Mal Webb, Revolver South Yarra, 12 June 2006 Courtesy of Mandy Hall
Background information
Born	(1966-10-31) 31 October 1966 (age 45) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres	Pop, jazz, blues, world music, Ghanaian music, A cappella
Occupations	Musician, Songwriter, Comedian
Instruments	Vocalist, Piano, Trombone, percussion, Guitar, drums, Bass, Trombone, Slide Trumpet, Mbira, Chromatic Harmonica
Years active	1984–present
Associated acts	The Cat Empire, Bomba, Ross Wilson, Lano and Woodley
Website	malwebb.com

Mal Webb (born 31 October 1966, Melbourne, Australia) is a multi-instrumentalist and has performed in various groups in the Australian music scene.^[1] Webb is known for an eclectic range of musical styles, techniques and his vocal talents, which include sideways yodeling, a variety of overtone singing styles, adventurous use of falsetto and beatboxing. When performing solo, he often uses a loop recorder and his use of the live looping over the years has influenced many performers, including DubFX, Mihirangi and Darren Percival. He plays guitar, trombone, slide trumpet, chromatic harmonica and the mbira. He has been a member of many bands over the years and is a founding member of the Oxo Cubans, Sock and Totally Gourdgeous. He has also played with The Cat Empire, Ross Wilson on John Safran's Music Jamboree and Kaya on X Factor. Mal appeared on the "Look What They Did to My Song" segment on Spicks and Specks in 2006. He was musical director of Wogs Out of Work and he wrote, played and recorded the music for The Adventures of Lano and Woodley TV show, as well as collaborating on Lano and Woodley's album, Sing Songs. In 2012, he did the music for Woodley (ABC TV).

Discography[link]

solo

• Trainer Wheels (2000)
• 3 Cheers for Peace & Quiet (2006)
• Dodgy (2009)
• Live and Instructional DVD (2011)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

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This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

Theo Bleckmann.

Theo Bleckmann (born Theodor Raoul Bleckmann May 28, 1966 in Dortmund, Germany) is a vocalist and composer.

Biography[link]

Theo Bleckmann is a jazz singer and new music composer, he was GRAMMY NOMINATED and received the ECHO award in 2010. His work was described as “from another planet” (New York Times), as “magical, futuristic,” (AllAboutJazz), “limitless” (Citypaper, Philadelphia) “transcendent” (Village Voice) and “brilliant” (New York Magazine).

Bleckmann has released a series of very well received albums on Winter & Winter, including recordings of Las Vegas standards, of Berlin Kabarett, and of popular “bar songs” (all with pianist Fumio Yasuda), a recording of newly arranged songs by Charles Ives (with jazz/rock collective Kneebody), and his new acoustic Solos for Voice “I dwell in possibility”.
Bleckmann has worked with such artists as Laurie Anderson, Anthony Braxton, Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Phillip Glass, Meredith Monk, Michael Tilson Thomas, John Zorn and The Bang on a Can All-Stars and was a guest vocalist with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Estonian Radio Choir, Merce Cunningham Dance Company and Mark Morris Dance and most prominently, Meredith Monk, with whom Bleckmann worked as a core ensemble member for fifteen years. He has recently been interview by Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air.
Recognized as both a performer and composer, his work spans concerts, installations, theater, cabaret and performance art. He has sung worldwide on some of the great stages including Carnegie Hall's, Zankel Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. The New Yorker called him a 'local cult favorite', The New York Times 'excellent' and according to OUT Magazine Bleckmann is 'a singer who's only recently fallen to earth' and indeed Bleckmann's style has something otherworldly and ethereal.
Bleckmann is also an educator. He is professor of Jazz Voice at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music and Adjunct Assistant Professor at The New School, Queens College and New York University.

Theo Bleckmann grew up appreciating both traditional music from his native Germany as well as American popular music and The Great American Songbook. He trained as an ice dancer in Germany, and was a junior champion before deciding to pursue a career in music. In 1989 Bleckmann moved from his native Germany to New York City (subsequently becoming an American citizen in 2005) after meeting legendary jazz vocalist Sheila Jordan at a workshop in Graz, Austria, who remains an influential mentor and colleague to this day. Together they can be heard on Sheila Jordan's Jazzchild (High Note 1999).

Current Projects[link]

Solo Projects[link]

Bleckmann's latest release, I dwell in possibility (Winter&Winter, 2010) is one of a kind. Inspired by the Arte Povera, the '60s Italian art movement that created installations with the simplest and "poorest" materials, Bleckmann creates with humble means and the devotion of a prayer. Besides his voice and a myriad of acoustics, Bleckmann has chosen some unlikely companions for his solos: music boxes, megaphones, autoharp, glasses, water, shruti, and various toys.

His 2001 release, Origami (Songlines, 2001) received four and a half stars (out of five) from Down Beat magazine making it one of the Best Releases of 2001, as well as declaring him a 'Rising Star' in their recent Critic's Polls.

Hello Earth! - The music of Kate Bush[link]

This project goes beyond merely re-creating Kate's Bush music but taking it to even further realms of sound and interpretation. He is joined in this venture by long-time collaborator percussionist John Hollenbeck, bassist Skuli Sverrisson and keyboardist Henry Hey and special guest, mult-instrumentalist Caleb Burhans on viola, guitar and laptop.

On 15 October 2011 the album, Hello Earth! - The Music of Kate Bush was released. It contains covers of fourteen of Bush classics, including "The Man with the Child in His Eyes", "Running Up that Hill", and "This Woman's Work", as well as songs from Side B of Hounds of Love, "The Ninth Wave."^[1] After seeing Bleckmann perform some of the Bush cannon live in 2010 in preparation for recording the album, New York Times music critic Nate Chinen wrote: “Kate Bush is a special fit for him. The arc of her career, uneasily abutting art-rock and alternative music, jibes with his own off-kilter profile. And she’s another transfixing singer with a penchant for careful diction and spooky connotation, and deep interest in the subconscious.”^[2]

"Twelve Songs by Charles Ives" with Kneebody[link]

The Wire: "Fluff-toned American singer Theo Bleckmann and New York based jazz group Kneebody […] look deep inside the DNA of Ives's material to extrapolate contemporary resonance. 'Songs my mother taught me' and 'The Housatonic at Stockbridge' are recast as sepia memories of the originals, as Bleckmann uncovers an impressionistic side of Ives using well-judged electronic atmospherics to put distance between then and now." April 2009
Twelve Songs by Charles Ives with Kneebody, (Winter&Winter, 2008) Grammy Nomination 2010 Best Classical Crossover Album

Bleckmann/Hollenbeck Duo[link]

Bleckmann particularly enjoys performing in duo. He and percussionist and composer John Hollenbeck forge a bond born of a long track record of working together including their duo, which is captured on Static Still (GPE records 2000) and Hollenbeck's Quartet Lucy (CRI 2001).
Furthermore, Bleckmann and Hollenbeck are both equal members of the Refuge Trio and Theo Bleckmann is part of John Hollenbeck's Large Ensemble. (see section for detailed information)

Bleckmann/Nurock Duo[link]

Bleckmann has also collaborated extensively with composer and pianist Kirk Nurock; Looking Glass River (Traumton-Indigo, 1995)
Theo & Kirk, (Traumton-Indigo, 1992)

Bleckmann/Monder duo[link]

His ongoing collaborations with guitarist Ben Monder can be heard on Monder's Recordings:
Excavation and
Oceana (Sunnyside)
and on their two duo releases:
At Night (Songlines, 2007)
No Boat (Songlines, 1997)

Audiopool - Duo with Sissel Vera Pettersen[link]

Audiopool is a collaboration between two eerily like-minded musicians: Sissel Vera Pettersen from Norway and New York-based Theo Bleckmann. Both singers use their voices as an instrument incorporating live electronic processing and looping to create mercurial and haunting compositions, improvisations and soundscapes. Audiopool premiered in the summer of 2008 at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival. Using only accessible instruments (a FLIP HD camera and household lighting) they extend their sensibilities to creating miniature vocal/visual landscapes while translating their live electronic vocal manipulations to video.

Refuge Trio[link]

Refuge Trio takes its name from the Joni Mitchell song "Refuge of the Roads". The collaborative trio was formed to play at the '2002 Wall-to-Wall Joni Mitchell Marathon Concert' at Symphony Space in NYC. Since then, they have continued to explore music with mystery and exuberance. They fashion a transformative experience for the audience with their music and spirit.
Refuge Trio with Gary Versace and John Hollenbeck (Winter&Winter, 2008)

With Fumio Yusada[link]

Las Vegas Rhapsody[link]

Bleckmann's collection of showtunes, Las Vegas Rhapsody - The Night They Invented Champagne with the Chamber Orchester Basel and pianist, arranger, Fumio Yusada (Winter&Winter, 2006) has been described as "the most transcendent vocal album in many a moon", by Francis Davis in The Village Voice.

Berlin - Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile[link]

Theo Bleckmann's second collaboration with Yusada is an extension of his love for music from his native country Germany surrounding the themes of love, war and peace. The repertoire consists of works by composers Hans Eisler, Kurt Weill, Kristian Schultze with Bertolt Brecht providing much of the texts.^[3]
Berlin - Songs of Love and War, Peace and Exile (Winter&Winter, 2007)

Schumann's Favored Bar Songs[link]

It's wonderful to plunge into the Schumann's Bar, to feel the atmosphere, to hear the sound of the jazz piano, the warm and clear voice of the singer and the typical back ground noises. Fumio Yasuda and Theo Bleckmann present song after song in a terrific performance. Winter&Winter has made itself a name particularly through the creation of AudioFilms (cinema for closed eyes). »Schumann's Favored Bar Songs« (Winter&Winter, 2009) is one of these AudioFilms, a simple but exciting sound story of a wonderful place.

John Hollenbeck Large Ensemle[link]

Bleckmann is also a featured vocalist in Hollenbeck's three Large Ensemble recordings
Eternal Interlude (Sunnyside Records, 2009), Grammy Nomination in 2009
Joys and Desires (Intuition 2006), Grammy Nomination in 2006
A Blessing (Omnitone 2005)

Moss[link]

Moss is a vocal ensemble composed of some of New York's most diverse and interesting (jazz) singers (Theo Bleckmann, Peter Eldridge, Kate McGarry, Lauren Kinhan and Luciana Souza). The repertoire features each artist's individual approach to music and creates a unique collective at the same time. MOSS (Sunyside Records, 2008)

Selected Discography[link]

2010 I dwell in possibility, Theo Bleckmann; Winter&Winter 910 168-2
2009 Schumann’s Favored Bar Songs, with Fumio Yasuda; Winter&Winter 910 152-2
2008 Twelve songs by Charles Ives, with Kneebody; Winter&Winter 910 147-2
2008 Refuge Trio, with Gary Versace and John Hollenbeck; Winter&Winter
2007 Berlin - songs of love and war, peace and exile; with Fumio Yasuda Winter&Winter 910 138-2
2007 At night, Theo Bleckmann and Ben Monder; Songlines Recordings SGL 1561-2
2006 Las Vegas Rhapsody - The night they invented champagne, Theo Bleckmann with Fumio Yasuda and the Kammerorchester Basel; Winter&Winter N° 910 116-2
2005 anteroom, Theo Bleckmann; Traumton 4483
2001 origami, Theo Bleckmann; Songlines, SGL 1534-2
2000 static still, TheoBleckmannJohnHollenbeckDUO; gpe records, GEP 6823
1997 No Boat, Theo Bleckmann and Ben Monder Duo; Songlines SGL 1516
1995 Looking-Glass River, Theo Bleckmann-Kirk Nurock Duo; Traumton-Indigo 2412
1992 Theo & Kirk, Theo Bleckmann-Kirk Nurock Duo; Traumton-Indigo 2404

SELECTED GROUP OR SIDEMAN RECORDINGS
2009 Eternal Interlude, John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; Sunnyside
2008 Moss w/Peter Eldridge, Lauren Kinhann, Kate McGarry and Luciana Souza; Sunnyside
2008 Impermanence, Meredith Monk; ECM
2007 The Carbon Copy Building, Band on a Can; Cantaloupe Records
2006 Joys and Desires, John Hollenbeck and Jazz Bigband Graz feat. Theo Bleckmann; Intuition
2005 A Blessing, John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; Omnitone
2005 Oceana, Ben Monder Quartet; Sunnyside
2006 Excavation, Ben Monder Quartet; Sunnyside
2006 Lucidarium, Steve Coleman; Label Bleu Records
2004 Zippo Songs, Phil Kline; Cantaloupe Records
2002 Mercy, Meredith Monk; ECM
2002 The Whitney, Biennial 2002 exhibition catalogue with CD; Whitney
1999 Jazz Child, Sheila Jordan; High Note,

Performance Pieces[link]

Fidget[link]

Bleckmann's multidisciplinary works include a commission by the Whitney Museum of American Art at Philip Morris to compose and create a music performance piece out of Kenneth Goldsmith's text Fidget, which Bleckmann scored for voice, piano, percussion, bass, video and three sewing machines. In real time, four seamstresses sewed a paper suit out of the hundreds of sheets of paper that were Bleckmann's libretto.

Mercuria[link]

In collaboration with performance artist Lynn Book, he created Mercuria (produced by the Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago), incorporating visual and vocal elements of dream and subconsciousness into an evening-length performance piece.

The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz[link]

Playing the gangster Dutch Schultz, Bleckmann co-created The True Last Words of Dutch Schultz a new music opera in collaboration with director Valeria Vasilevski and composer Eric Salzman.

Film, Television and Theater[link]

As a sound improviser, he has performed, created and developed movie, television and theater scores, among them an alleged space Alien language for Men In Black by Steven Spielberg, Star Trek: Envoy (Meredith Monk) and Kundun (Phillip Glass)

One of his recent appearances on television include "The David Letterman Show" with the performance artist Laurie Anderson on July 14, 2010.

Theo Bleckmann sang in John Moran's Book of the Dead at the Public Theater in NY, performed a lead in Bang on a Can's Obie Award-winning opera Carbon Copy Building and frequently appears as a soloist with The Bang on a Can All-Stars.
In collaboration with director Laurie McCants and set designer Elaine F. Williams, he wrote the music and performed The Alexandria Carry On, which has been traveling the US and was performed at the actual library in Alexandria, Egypt.

Selected Compositions[link]

2009 “Roundabout (4 J.A.C.K.) ” for string quartet, (commissioned by Ensemble Noamnesia)
2009 “Duet for One” for solo voice
2009 “I dwell in possibility” (poem by Emily Dickinson) for voice and chimes
2009 “I am not enough” for voice and toy microphone
2008 “elegy” for 2 voices and loops
2008 “Take my life” for voice, piano, Glockenspiel and drums
2007 “I build my time” (poem by Kurt Schwitters) for voice, piano and string quartet
2007 “Schmidt Lied” (poem by Kurt Schwitters) for voice, piano and string quartet
2007 “To what shall I compare this life” (lyrics Priest Monsei) for voice, piano and percussion
2007 “Happiness” for voice, piano and drums
2007 “Longing” for four voices, cello, percussion and Fender Rhodes
2006 “Orchard” (poem by Rumi) for five voices and guitar
2004 - 05 “Anteroom” for 16 voices
2004 - 05 “A small house can carry as much happiness as a large one” for voices and kalimba
2004 “Lament for a Jungle” for voices and paper
2003 - 04 “The Alexandria Carry On” songs and music for voice, flute, percussion and shruti box (lyrics by Laurie McCants adapted from Ancient Greek and Egyptian sources)
2001 “DNA” for voice, piano, guitar, vibraphone, electric bass and percussion
2001 “None of the Above” for voice, piano and vibraphone
1997 “Men in Black” Alien language for Soundtrack

Awards and honors[link]

Theo Bleckmann's work has been recognized with several awards including a Grammy Nomination in 2010 for the best "Classical Crossover Album". He received the ECHO Award for "Best Singer of the Year" 2010, a Bessie Award, Presser Award for Outstanding Talent and the ASCAP/GershwinAward for his composition "Chorale #1 for Eight Voices" as well as grants from Arts International, the Franklin Furnace Fund for Performance Art, New York Foundation for the Arts, Meet The Composer and the Council on Humanities, PA. He was also voted "Cultural Elite" by New York Magazine in 2005 and 2006.

References[link]

• Terry Gross interviews Theo Bleckmann
• New York Times Review - Tangled in A Dreamscape with Friends in Tow, Published 23 September 2010

External links[link]

• Theo Bleckmann's Official Website
• Winter & Winter (label)
• Songlines Recordings (label)
• Traumton