The composer, pianist and music pedagogue Geneviève Calame was born on December 30, 1946, in Geneva and died on October 8, 1993, also in Geneva. Calame was raised in a Greco-Italian family in Geneva. She studied piano under Lottie Morel (*1909) in Geneva following her undergraduate studies and received her diploma in 1967. She continued her studies in Italy under Guido Agosti (1901-1989) in Rome receiving the ‘l'Accademia musicale chigiana’ diploma in Sienna, and during two years in Geneva under Louis Hiltbrand (1916-1983). She simultaneously (1971) studied composition under the Swiss composer Jacques Guyonnet (*1933) also from Geneva and teacher at the local conservatory. Calame attended courses in composition headed by Pierre Boulez (*1925) in London, Henri Pousseur (*1929) in Liège and by the French composer Jean-Claude Eloy (*1938) in Rouen. She was further educated in new electronic and electro-acoustic instrumental technology by the American composer Hubert Howe (New York) and the visual artist William Etra. She attended seminars on electronic music in Paris (IRCAM), Stockholm and the United States.
In 1972 she married Jacques Guyonnet and gave birth to their daughter Jill Sophie in 1982. Calame devoted herself to electronic music at the ‘Studio de musique contemporaine’ (contemporary music studios) in Geneva. In 1971 she founded, together with her husband, the studio for electronic music, video and information technology under the name A.R.T (Artistic Research Team) specialising, as the title suggests, in electronic music, video and information technology. Calame developed a new method of teaching electronic music to children, which she herself taught between the years 1975 and 1993 at the ‘l'Ecole Supérieure d'Art Visuel’ in Geneva. In 1976 she became president of the International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM), Geneva section. Calame has been showing her work, which also contains audio visual installations, since 1971 in the whole of Europe, the United States and South America.
Fonte della biografia: Lukas Näf
Elenco delle opere
L'Oiseau du matin (1972)
Ballet électronique
Durata: 60' 00" Manuscritto
Mantiq-al-Tayr (1973)
Strumentazione: pour flûte, flûte contrebasse et quatre sources électroniques
Durata: 12' 00" Manuscritto
Différentielle verticale (1974)
Strumentazione: pour soprano et orchestre symphonique
Durata: 6' 24" Manuscritto
Le chant remémoré (1975)
Strumentazione: Videotape
Selon et pour Jacques Guyonnet.
Expositions Serpentine Gallery, Londres et Palazzo dei Diamanti, Ferrara.
Durata: 8' 00" Manuscritto
Geometry I, II, III (1975-1976)
Strumentazione: Videotape
Exposition Espace Cardin, Paris.
Durata: 15' 00" Manuscritto
Lude (1975)
Strumentazione: pour harpe seule
Durata: 5' 00" Manuscritto
Iral (1975)
Désert de métal
Strumentazione: pour quatre trompettes et quatre trombones
Durata: 8' 00" Manuscritto
Tableaux video (1976-1977)
Présentés à New York, Boston, Bonn, Rio de Janeiro et à la Biennale de São Paulo.
Manuscritto
Videocosme (1976)
Sur le poème electronique d'Edgar Varèse
Strumentazione: Videotape
Exposition à Paris, Porte de la Suisse.
Durata: 10' 00" Manuscritto
Alpha futur (1976)
Strumentazione: pour orchestre symphonique et soprano ad lib.
Durata: 5' 55" Manuscritto
Labyrinthes Fluides (1976)
Strumentazione: Videotape
Expositions à Cannes, Buenos Aires, Genève, Festival du Film de Locarno.
Durata: 10' 00" Manuscritto
StEpHAnE mAllArmE (1977)
ou "Un coup de dés jamais n'abolira le hasard..."
Strumentazione: pour orchestre de chambre
Durata: 12' 00" Manuscritto
Et l'Oeil rêve... (1977)
Poème visuel
Strumentazione: sur diapositives couleurs avec environnement électro-acoustique
Durata: 17' 00" Manuscritto
Mandala (1978)
Strumentazione: pour sept trompettes ou sept voix de femmes
Durata: 8' 00" Manuscritto
Le Son-Qui-Fut-Mille (1978)
Strumentazione: pour quatre sources électroniques et percussions
Composé pour et avec des enfants.
Durata: 15' 00" Manuscritto
Les Aubes d'Onomadore (1978)
Strumentazione: pour instruments africains et orchestre symphonique
Durata: 20' 00" Manuscritto
L'Homme-Miroir (1979)
Strumentazione: pour orchestre de vents, percussions et quatre sources électroniques
Durata: 10' 00" Manuscritto
Je lui dis... (1980)
Strumentazione: pour orchestre de chambre
Durata: 10' 00" Manuscritto
Oniria (1981)
Strumentazione: pour piano solo et bande magnétique
Durata: 9' 00" Manuscritto
Calligrammes (1983-1984)
Strumentazione: pour harpe et orchestre de chambre