Tristan Perich & James McVinnie
Biographie Tristan Perich & James McVinnie
Tristan Perich
Tristan's (New York) work is inspired by the aesthetic simplicity of math, physics and code. The WIRE Magazine describes his compositions as "an austere meeting of electronic and organic." 1-Bit Music, his 2004 release, was the first album ever released as a microchip, programmed to synthesize his electronic composition live. His follow-up circuit album, 1-Bit Symphony, has received critical acclaim, called "sublime" (New York Press), and the Wall Street Journal said, "its oscillations have an intense, hypnotic force and a surprising emotional depth." The New York Times called his latest circuit album, Noise Patterns, “techno for silicon-based life forms.†As an electronic musician, he has performed internationally, from Sonár, MUTEK and the Barbican to Lampo and The Kitchen. As a composer, he has received commissions from So Percussion, the LA Philharmonic, Calder Quartet and more, as well as an award of distinction from Ars Electronica for his work for violins and 1-bit electronics, Active Field. The New York Classical Review wrote, “More than any composer of his generation, Perich is establishing a new language and a new future path for music.†As a visual artist, his audio installations, video works and machine drawings have received commissions from the likes of Rhizome and L’Auditori in Barcelona, and his artwork has been exhibited internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art, VOLT Festival, the San Diego Museum, the Georgia Museum, and bitforms gallery.
James McVinnie
is an organist and keyboard player whose boundless approach to music making has seen him carve out a unique career.
McVinnie’s career began at the organs of some of the UK’s most revered places of worship, including time spent as Sub-Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral and Assistant Organist of Westminster Abbey. In the years since he has gone on to become one of classical music’s most captivating and innovative performers.
McVinnie has collaborated with a great number of artists from different musical fields and genres. They include the composer and sound artist Tristan Perich, electronics duo Darkstar, singer-songwriters Sufjan Stevens, Sam Amidon and Beth Orton, and Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry. He has also had major concerto solo works written for him by, among others, Nico Muhly, Gabriella Smith, Martin Creed, David Chalmin, David Lang, Bryce Dessner and Hildur Guðnadóttir
Since 2017 he has directed the James McVinnie Ensemble, a collective of virtuoso keyboardists dedicated to exploring work often preoccupied with political themes by contemporary and emerging composers. The ensemble’s debut performance was of Philip Glass’ Music in Twelve Parts – the only performance in the piece’s history given by anyone other than the Philip Glass Ensemble.
As a member of Icelandic collective and record label Bedroom Community, McVinnie has released three albums: Cycles (2013, works by Nico Muhly), Cycles_1 (2016, a remix album) and Counterpoint (2021) which pairs music of J S Bach & Philip Glass. Among his other recordings is All Night Chroma featuring music by Tom Jenkinson/Squarepusher, which was recorded on our Royal Festival Hall organ, and released on Warp Records in 2019.
McVinnie became a Southbank Centre Resident Artist in 2024. His residency began in March that year with two performances on our Royal Festival Hall organ as part of the instrument’s 70th anniversary celebrations.
