Michael Ormiston has been composing, performing, teaching and writing
about music for many years. He is a multi-instrumentalist and is currently
involved as a solo performer, in a duo with Candida Valentino and a member of Miraca,
Boundless, Hyperyak, Mysterious
Tremendum, Praying for the Rain music groups.
His original compositions have been used on TV (BBC and Channel 4), Theatre
(Theatre de Complicite), Dance (Ballet Frankfurt, Spiral Dance) and performance
(London Jazz Festival). His throat singing has been used on Hollywood Films (The
Golden Compass, We Were
Soldiers), and TV (BBC’s acclaimed series Planet
Earth, Last of the Medicine Men). He has performed globally including
for His Holiness The Dalai Lama. Michael is also a radio programme researcher,
writer and presenter, a traditional music reviewer (Songlines magazine), a workshop leader, teacher and researcher in
Mongolian music. He is one of the principal workshop leaders and performers of Eye-Music’s
Colourscape.
Michael specializes in Mongolian Khöömii (overtone) singing, being
one of the only non-Mongolians able to sing Khöömii. He has been studying
Khöömii since 1988, attending lectures by Dr Carole Pegg (Cambridge
University), Tran Quang Hai
(Muse de l’homme, Paris) and Dr Alan Dejaques (Lille University). He has
travelled to
Michael has facilitated Khöömii and Overtone singing workshops in
the U.S and Europe including at the School of Oriental and African Studies
(SOAS), London, Greenwich University, London, The Giving Voice Festival
(Wales), Gaunts House, Dorset, The New Life Centre, New York, Ballet Frankfurt,
Germany, The Centre of Intercultural Harmony, Ascona, Switzerland, Trinity College
Dublin with the Temenos Project, Alternatives, St James Church, London, The
Eden Project, Cornwall, England
For the past thirteen years
Michael has led workshops, evenings and therapy
sessions in Relaxation, Meditation and Deep Listening using Tibetan Singing
Bowls, ever since Khamba Lam Choijampts, the head Abbot of Ganden
Monastery,
Michael has recorded many
acclaimed CD’s please click for more information
Or visit
myspace pages
http://www.myspace.com/michaelormiston23
http://www.myspace.com/radiantvoyages
Michael has a
rare collection of Mongolian instruments including the Morin Khuur, Tobshuur, Tömör Khuur, Khulsan Khuur, Limbe, Yatag,
Tsuur. Among the other instruments he plays are, Tibetan Singing Bowls,
Symphonic Gongs, Saz (Turkish long necked lute), Flat backed Bouzouki, Ney
(Turkish end blown flute), Jew’s harps,
Live electronics……
Michael wrote, researched and
presented, “Echoes from Blue Heaven”, a series of 4 programmes about Mongolian
Traditional music for BBC Radio3 and “The Whispering of the Stars”, the first
major series (6 part) of radio programmes about Siberian Music for BBC Radio3.
In the field of Dance,
Michael has worked in collaboration with the Fabrice Mazliah from Ballet
Frankfurt, Spiral Art Dance Theatre, Strata performance group.
Michael and Candida Valentino
have created hands on tailor made educational days for all ages exploring the
culture of
He jointly composed the theme
tune and original music for Benedict Allen’s six part series on BBC 2 about
Mongolia, “Edge of Blue Heaven”
and his series about Shamanism and traditional healing, “The
last of the Medicine Men”. He composed the original music for the award
winning Channel 4 Cutting edge programme “The Child sex Trade”
and “Women in Islam” Channels
Dispatches programme, Forbidden
Iran and Iraq,
the Road to Kirkuk.
He organised and performed
with one of his musical groups, Nada a tour of
Mongolia in 1994. This was the first British group to tour the
provinces of
Michael has performed with
his rare collection of Mongolian instruments, Tibetan Singing Bowls, gongs,
flutes and electronics around the world including at the Montreux Jazz festival
(Switzerland), The National Theatre (London), The Queen Elizabeth Hall
(London), with members of Ballet Frankfurt (Germany), The Eden Project
(Cornwall) and Glastonbury International Dance Festival with Spiral Arts Dance
Theatre, Belfast (Northern Ireland) for H.H. The Dalai Lama, and in New York,
Sri Lanka, Spain and Algeria,
For more information about
Mongolian overtone singing workshops, individual lessons, performances, Tibetan
Singing bowl workshops, soundtransformations workshops, concert booking,
education days please contact Michael at mailto:ormi_khoomii@yahoo.com
Please
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