The German-Austrian composer Brigitta Muntendorf explores the fragility of socio-political and techno-social concepts in multilayered musical narratives and modes of expression. In her works, she embodies concepts of Radical Listening, Environmental Storytelling, or Immersive Theater, established the concept of Social Composing and appeals to media sensuality and collaborative forms of production.
Her settings range from instrumental, choral, and orchestral music to audio-visual (AR-)installations and trans-digital music/dance theater. Her artistic research on 3D-Audio and AI-Voice Clones takes place in scientific-artistic collaborations with partners such as d&b audio and S+T+ARTS / Ars Electronica.
In recent years she has focused on large stage productions such as ARCHIPEL (commissioned by Ruhrtriennale; Theater der Welt, Tanz im August 2021) for 40 dancers, musicians, 3D-Audio Choir (Norwegian Soloists’ Choir) and a sound sculpture by Japanese star architect Sou Fujimoto in a further collaboration with choreographer Stephanie Thiersch (Batailles d’Image / Theater de Nimes, Opera Bonn).
Her music theater MELENCOLIA (commissioned by Bregenzer Festspiele 2022, Hollandfestival 2024; Muntendorf/Lobeck), was the first opera to be awarded an Honorary Mention at the Prix Arts Electronica and was selected as a flagship project by the Federal Government Commissioner for Art and Culture.
With the world premiere of her 3D-Audio space oratorio ORBIT – A War Series for AI-Voice Clones and Electronics (commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia/Biennale Musica 2023), Muntendorf marked the beginning of a large-scale 3D-Audio trilogy that deals with the topic of systematic violence. Praised as “a powerful exploration of the dramas of war” (Rolling Stone) and “a posthuman, futuristic and influential space oratorio” (La Repubblica) ORBIT – A War Series refers to the work of the American artist Nancy Spero and her depictions of the connection between sexuality and oppressive power structures.
In addition to numerous prizes and artist residencies (articularly influential were Villa Kamogawa, SWR Studio Freiburg, Cité International des Arts, Paris), she has been awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation’s Young Composer’s Prize and the German Young Music Authors Award of GEMA. Muntendorfs Trilogy for Two Pianos and live electronics (GrauSchumacher Piano Duo) was awarded with the German Record Critics’ Award 2023 and is considered a pioneering composition, as is her Public Privacy series, which was performed in over 30 countries.
Her works have been invited to international festivals worldwide, including Festival d’Automne Paris, Wiener Festwochen, Ruhrtriennale, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Warsaw Autumn, Munich Biennale, PAN Music Festival Korea, Time:Spans Festival New York, Musica Strasbourg, ULTIMA Oslo, Art Share L.A., ONASSIS Athens or Metro Club Kyoto. Her audio-visual installations such as COVERED CULTURE (Muntendorf/Lobeck) for 60 singers and performers or the sound installation ||: Forest of Breath :|| were exhibited at Duolun Museum of Modern Art (Shanghai), TPAM/BANKArtTemporary (Yokohama), LOOP Alt Space (Seoul), Kyoto Experiment or the Kunsthalle Mannheim in collaboration with the National Theatre Mannheim.
As the long-time artistic director of Ensemble Garage and the queer-feminist F*MN Festival (collaboration with Deutschlandfunk), she staged and produced numerous concerts and festivals. In 2024, she became a full member of the she became a full member of the North-Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Arts. Since 2018 she is also professor for composition at the HfMT Cologne and director of the Institute for Contemporary Music.