(le) poisson rouge

Soprano Martha Cluver has been hailed by the New York Times for her "soulful soprano" voice. Focusing on contemporary music, Cluver performs frequently with the ensembles Alarm Will Sound, Roomful of Teeth, Signal, SEM, So Percussion and the Vox Vocal Ensemble. In 2006, she performed the US west coast premiere of John Zorn's Evocation of a Neophyte for soprano, choir and small ensemble at UC-Berkeley and was praised by the San Francisco Classical Voice for her "ethereal soprano loveliness". Cluver traveled to the Czech Republic in the summer of 2007 for the Ostrava Days New Music Festival, where she performed Neither by Morton Feldman, with conductor Peter Rundel and the Janáček Philharmonic. She "mastered the extremely difficult part with elegance and lightness and delivered an astonishing performance" and "brought the house to a tumultuous applause" (2007 Ostrava Days Festival News Letter). She has since then returned to the Czech Republic, where she performed the demanding soprano role in George Benjamin's opera Into the Little Hill. In September of 2009, Cluver will be premiering a new opera called La Douce by Emmanuel Nunes with the Remix Ensemble in Porto, Portugal. As a chamber musician, Cluver has premiered works by John Zorn, O&A, Caleb Burhans and Brad Lubman. She sings regularly with the Vox Vocal Ensemble, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Clarion, and Holy Trinity Bach Choir. Cluver's discography includes Nonesuch, Sweet Spot DVD, Cantaloupe, and Tzadik. She holds a Bachelor's degree from Eastman School of Music in viola performance.