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Photo: Sharka Bosakova

Eclectic Australian-American musician Erik Griswold fuses experimental, jazz and world music traditions to create works of striking originality. Specialising in prepared piano, percussion and toy instruments, he has created a musical universe all his own that is "sincere" (neural.it), "playful" (igloo magazine), "colourful and refreshingly unpretentious" (Paris Transatlantic). Griswold performs as a soloist, in Clocked Out Duo (with percussionist Vanessa Tomlinson), and collaborates with musicians from diverse backgrounds as well as visual artists, and writers.

In 2011 Griswold has continued to compose a number of works for chamber ensembles. New works include In Patterns of Shade for flute, prepared piano, and percussion (premiered with eight blackbird flutist Tim Munro), a leaf falls for cello and percussion quartet (for cellist John Addison and Soundstream Collective), and Dreams you might not come back from for Continuum Sax. He also composed music for two radio plays, which were performed live as part of the 2011 Queensland Music Festival. He has continued to perform with his ensembles Clocked Out Duo and the Wide Alley, as well as curate events and concert series via his production company Clocked Out.

Griswold has lived in San Diego, Los Angeles, New York, Melbourne, Adelaide, and now calls Brisbane home. He is currently director of Clocked Out, and adjunct professor at Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University. He holds a PhD from University of California, San Diego.

"No matter how dense the sonic layers became, the effect was one of epic grandeur rather than mayhem. The horn players' harmonies began to blur as though they were playing under water, calling across the stage in soulful waves before the entire ensemble merged into a subdued, satisfying unison." The Age (on Ecstatic Music)

"Startlingly fresh imagery... intelligent, intuitive and original." The Courier Mail, July 2005, Luke Beesley

"Rewarding and intense... the alchemical transformation of furious, minimal clusters into eerie harmonics and distant half-heard melodies, sudden evocations of gamelan and marimba." - RealTime (on Other Planes)

Erik Griswold — current to October 2011