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Lenka Kiliç (née Foltýnová, born 1971) graduated from the Masaryk University Faculty of Arts in Brno, Czech Republic, in 2003, successfully defending her doctoral dissertation on Galina Ustvolskaya. In addition to her doctoral degree in music history, she also earned here a bachelor's degree in theater theory and history. Prior to her doctoral studies in musicology, Kiliç studied composition at the Janácek Academy of Performing Arts (JAMU) in Brno under Prof. František Emmert. She graduated with her orchestral work Kvítí milodejné (Love Flowers), performed by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra of Olomouc. Prior to attending university, Kiliç studied piano, organ, flute, dulcimer, and composition at an arts school for young musicians in Brno. She was a member of the "Brnenští gajdoši" (Brno Pipers) folklore ensemble, with which she participated in international folklore festivals in Dijon, France (1989) and in Izmir, Turkey (1991). In the 1990s, Kiliç composed incidental music for the Municipal Theater in Zlín (Vera Herajtová's musical play Zachariáši, vypravuj nám o Bohu/Zacharias, Tell Us About God). From 1994 to 1997 she participated in the musical workshop of Studio Dum/Studio House, led by stage director Eva Tálská in association with the Center for Experimental Theater of the "Husa na provázku" theater in Brno, and composed some of the incidental music for the theater productions Svatby/The Weddings, Svatbicky/The Little Weddings, and Betlém/The Bethlehem. She continued her collaboration with the "Husa na provázku" theater in Tálská's production of Cirkus aneb Se mnou smrt a kun/The Circus, or the Death and Horse with Me) which was premiered in March 1999 (and remained in the theater’s repertoire until March 2008). Besides this important collaboration, Kiliç composed music for a number of other theater studios in the Czech Republic. During her university studies, Kiliç took part in several musicological conferences (e.g. a Mozart conference in Baden, Austria), composition courses in Ceský Krumlov with instructors Sofia Gubaydulina, Viktor Suslin, Luis de Pablo and Marek Kopelent, and participated in the "Generace"/”Generation” composer competitions. Her works were performed at the festivals Forfest (her composition Stabat mater received an award in the "Generation" competition in 1996; Magnificat and Safranbolu in 2003), Mladé Pódium/Young Stage (Vedlejší príznaky/The Side Effects, 2002), Gegenwelten Heidelberg (Safranbolu, 2003) and Moravian Autumn as part of the New Music Exposition Brno (The Side Effects, 1998; 5 písní na texty Zdenka Rotrekla/ 5 Songs on the text by Zdenek Rotrekl, 2005), Komponistinnen und Ihr Werk, Kassel (Safranbolu and Na horách, na dolách/In The Mountains, Down The Valleys, 2005), Neue Musik Termine, Köln (Safranbolu and The Side Effects, 2006), Hudební soucasnost/Musical Presence in Ostrava, Setkávání nové hudby plus/New Music Encounters Plus in Brno and Pohyb, zvuk, prostor/Movement, Sound and Space in Opava, where she presented her latest composition for string quartet and voice Nejpeknejší andel/The Fairest of Angels (2008). In 1998, a Moravian Autumn festival concert brought together a group of young women composers, all graduates of the Janacek Academy of Performing Arts. Kiliç helped establish the group more formally, under the name of HUDBABY / MUSICRONES. As a founding member, Kiliç also produced the group’s first profile compact disc entitled HUDBABY (Lotos, LT 0128-2 131) in 2003. She was also the artistic producer of the group’s second disc entitled “Cekám Te!”/”I am waiting for you!” (CR 0481-2), a project that was financially assisted by the Czech Ministry of Culture and Te Kapralova Society (Canada), and released by the Czech Radio label Radioservis in December 2009 in Prague. The title of the disc is borrowed from the last, unfinished composition of Leoš Janácek (from the Album for Kamila Stösslová), and is inspired by his music and life. For details see www.kapralova.org/HUDBABY.htm. Lenka Kiliç´s music has been performed in the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands and Australia, and broadcast by radio stations in the Czech Republic, Germany, Canada and the United States. The original character of Kiliç´s music is readily discernible in her vocal pieces. She leads the voice in a specific way which does not follow the classical harmonic scheme but follows the voice naturally, creating a special melodic line as a result. Rather than working with particular tonal groups, Kiliç works with free modality which is inspired by the folklore music of her homeland, the South Moravian region, as well as the world music, especially that which originates in the Balcan and Middle-East. Athough Kiliç does not have her own compositional system, her compositions do have several distinct characteristics. Besides a particular sense for specific melodies, linear/horizontal leading of the voices in the score is also typical for her compositions. She pays close attention to orchestration, and the choice of instruments and the way they express a certain musical idea are very important to her. Kiliç´s style is often determined by the theme of her composition, invariably lifted from literature, theater or visual art, and often inspired by a woman’s life. Her musical heroines include Sofia Gubaydulina, who inspires her with the spirituality of her music and a very special sound color and consistence; Galina Ustvolskaya, whom she admires for the economy of expression and strength of her compositions; and Meredith Monk, who inspires her with the simplicity and creativity of her music. „Before starting a new piece, I try to find a theme, which would support and hold together the work. When I receive a commission from musicians, I ask them what the piece should be about. Then I read a lot about the topic, think about it in depth, and start making a rough sketch of the entire composition. When this is done, I am able to envision the music in my head so that the compositional means follow naturally. Perhaps that is why my music may not sound as ´contemporary´, but is nevertheless truthfull. Each of my compositions has its own story behind the music.“ After finishing her studies, Kiliç worked as music manager and producer (Concentus Moraviae Music Festival, the Brno Philharmonic, Prague Spring Festival). She also worked as a music writer, and her articles appeared in the classical music magazines Harmonie, Opus musicum, and Slovenská hudba/Slovak Music. From 2002 to 2004 Kiliç worked a musicologist at the Bohuslav Martinu Institute in Prague. She is currently working as freelance composer and music journalist. Her latest work in progress is a chamber opera about the most important Czech writer of the nineteenth century, Božena Nemcová. The libretto was written by the Czech documentarist and writer Olga Sommerová, whose films and books are mostly dedicated to women. At the present time, Kiliç lives in Vienna.
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