Mela Meierhans lives in Berlin and Buckow/Brandenburg.
She received her most important artistic impulses from her parents (contemporary music and abstract painting). Since 1989, her main fields of creative interest have been: Complexity and open-mindedness, interdisciplinary collaboration, development of interactive scores in the areas of music, dance, film, performance, theatre, installation and architecture.
Since 2003, the main focus of her work has been on music / musical theatre in the public sphere.
Meierhans has worked since 2006 on her "Jenseitstrilogie", a piece dealing with Christian, Islamic and Jewish death and mourning rituals: Part I "Tante Hänsi" was premiered in 2006, part II "Rithaa" in 2010, and part III is scheduled for 2014.
From 1998-2000 she was guest composer at the Electronic Studio of the University of Music Basel. She has received prizes and awards from the cities of Lucerne, Zug, Basel, Berlin and many more.
2000 Composer in residence at the Basel Sinfonietta.
2008 Artist in residence in Cairo, Egypt.
1989 - 2010 Commissions by MaerzMusik Berlin, Theaterfabrik Gera, Staatsoper Hannover, Lucerne Festival, Festival del Centro Histórico de Mexico City, Pro Helvetia, Experimentale Leipzig, Gare du Nord Basel, Berliner Kompositionsaufträge, Basel Symphony Orchestra, The Roosevelt Ensemble Washington, Basel Sinfonietta, Migros-Kulturprozent, Klangwerkstatt Berlin, Tage für Live Elektronik Basel et al. Audio Design for Swiss broadcaster DRS 2 and for Pro Helvetia.
2006 Founding of the ensemble dialogue, a group of musicians with a background in improvisation playing both classical and traditional folk music instruments.
1989 - 2012 Various sponsorship awards from Pro Helvetia
2010 Sponsorship award for "Rithaa" from the Bundeskulturstiftung, Germany
2008 Artist in residence in Cairo, Egypt
2005 Commission Berliner Kompositionsauftrag
2001 Composer of the week at the Europäischer Musikmonat 2001 in Basel
2001 Recognition award from the city of Lucerne
2000/1 Composer in residence at the Basel Sinfonietta
1999 3rd prize of the Glasmusikfestival in Frauenau, Germany for "Canthus to Canthus"
1998 1st prize classical jingles for Swiss Radio DRS
1997 Sponsorship award from the canton of Zug
1993 Sponsorship award for composition from the city and canton of Lucerne
1990 Work grant for composition from the city and canton of Lucerne
Instrumentation: for string quartet and walking horn
For Le Corbusier’s pilgrimage chapel ‘Notre Dame du Haut’ in Ronchamp (France). Commissioned and in cooperation with the Technical University in Zurich (ETH).
'A-a' for voices and percussion.
'Orpheus' based on Ingeborg Bachmann, for voice solo (and open grand piano)
'Enigma' based on Ingeborg Bachmann, for voice solo (piano and percussion ad libitum).
Instrumentation: for one venue, 2 voices and ensemble (2tpt.2hn.2tbn/string quartet)
Duration: 50' 00" Manuscript
Essays I-V (2005)
Instrumentation: for voice and piano
Texts: Nijolé Miliauskaité
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Souffle combattant (2005)
Instrumentation: for a 5 and an 8 stringed viola and ensemble (1.1.1.1/1.0.2.0/2perc/pf.cel/1.1.1.0)
"Souffle combattant" pays homage to the composition "Cordes plus" by Maurice Benhamou (*1936). Benhamou wrote "Cordes plus" in close cooperation with the violist Kurt Meyerhans who had already had a 5 and an 8 stringed viola specially made for other compositions and improvisations. "Cordes plus" was world premiered in 1974 in Bourges (Festival International de Musique Experimentale). Further performances followed in the years 1976 in Paris (Centre des Universitaires Juifs) and 1983 in Switzerland. Some members of the audience at these concerts fled the concert hall rather disgruntled. The electronic tape, the wild viola and polystyrene used in parts of the composition were too much for the ears ("Cordes plus" was created under the impression of various wars between 1967 and 1973 as well as other influences)
Commissioned by radio "Espace2" I have written this composition for Marie Schwab (who now uses the 5 and 8 stringed violas once belonging to Kurt Meyerhans) and the "Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain" using a radio recording of "Cordes plus" as a basis. In my composition:
1. is a live recording of "Cordes plus" (Radio France 1977) electronically processed, (partly) altered and played back
2. the solo viola part is based on the solo viola voice by Kurt Meyerhans
3. the ensemble is developed in a dialogue which takes as its subject the "Gleichzeitigkeit von Verschiedenheit und Gemeinsamkeit" ("Simultaneity of Differences and Similarities") by
Christine Thürmer-Rohr.
"Souffle combattant" was created purely associatively; it is a Re-Action and fragmentary (musical, political and personal) memory. The title affords a possible link: "Souffle combattant" after the etching bearing the same name by Gisèle Celan-Lestrange.
Duration: 27' 00" Manuscript
Lose struCture (2006)
12 Etudes
Instrumentation: for (prepared) piano
Duration: 17' 00" Manuscript
"Tante Hänsi, ein Jenseitsreigen" (2006)
A musical thaetre
Instrumentation: for ensemble (2 accordions, horn/alphorn, trombone/alphorn, dulcimer/large frame drum, 2 clarinets) and mezzo-soprano, countertenor and jodel choir
On the occasion of JENSEITS VOM DIESSEITS - DIESSEITS VOM JENSEITS from "Dìa de los muertos" with a focus on Mexico-Switzerland.
Duration: 70' 00" Manuscript
SCHATT-ie/IRR-ungen der Annemarie von Matt (2007)
Instrumentation: for 2 voices, clarinet, horn, accordion, violoncello, double bass
Texts: Annemarie von Matt
Duration: 25' 00" Manuscript
Nightselves oder Meine Nacht schläft nicht (2007)
Ensemble version
Instrumentation: for clarinet, horn, violoncello, double bass and accordion
After a picture and texts by Sonja Sekula.
Duration: 23' 00" Manuscript
Entzweite Gesänge (2007)
Instrumentation: for prepared piano (and obligatory voice)
Texts: Mela Meierhans
Duration: 11' 00" Manuscript
Ohne Titel I-III (Cairo Studies) (2008)
3 Radio features
Instrumentation: for viola, violoncello, darbuka (drum) and playback
"o.t." was created during an extended trip to Kairo (Pro Helvetia's Artist in Residence programme in Egypt) and is a study for "RITHAA", part II of the JENSEITS TRILOGIE.
Duration: 19' 00" Manuscript
" ... and the sound of a distance falling " (2008)
Instrumentation: for voice and dance
Texts: Anne Blonstein
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Rithaa - Ein Jenseitsreigen II (2009-2010)
Instrumentation: for ensemble
Texts: Mela Meierhans, Judith Butler
Duration: 65' 00" Manuscript
wer barfuss geht, geht nicht auf rosen (2009)
Instrumentation: for voice, dance, clarinet, horn, accordion, violoncello and double bass