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Suzanne CianiAmerican performer, pianist and musician
Date of Birth: 04.07.1946
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Suzanne Ciani
Suzanne Ciani is an American performer, pianist, composer, and musician who is best known for her experimental electronic sound and the use of computer technology in her recordings. Over the course of her career, Ciani has released approximately 15 albums in genres such as new age, ambient, and neo-classical. She has also been a recipient of major music awards. Throughout the years, Ciani has actively collaborated with film studios, advertising agencies, and major companies, assisting in the creation of soundtracks for movies and commercials. Additionally, she has written four books in which she discusses her approach to music creation and her earliest musical experiments that laid the foundation for her unique creativity. Today, critics consider Suzanne Ciani one of the most unconventional musicians in the American music scene and include her in the list of the best contemporary composers.
Early Life and Education
Suzanne Ciani was born on June 4, 1946, in the United States, into a family with Italian roots. From a young age, she had a passion for music and after completing high school, Ciani enrolled in Wellesley College, where she studied classical music. She obtained a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. It was during her years on the West Coast that her career began to take shape. At the university, she met synthesizer designers and became interested in computer music and modern musical developments. In the early 1970s, Ciani studied computer music at the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory with Max Mathews and John Chowning.
Music Career
In 1974, Suzanne Ciani founded her own company, 'Ciani/Musica,' and began working on creating music for television commercials using the 'Buchla Analog Modular Synthesizer.' She collaborated with major global companies such as Coca-Cola, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, and General Electric. Ciani was particularly interested in complex sound effects that were difficult to record and required special modeling. For example, she created the sound of opening a bottle of Coca-Cola and the fizzing sound as the drink poured into a glass - these works are still used in the company's advertisements. Simultaneously, she collaborated with other companies, assisting in the creation of video games and interactive interfaces that also required sound effects. Sometimes, she would have over 50 recording sessions in a week, working from morning till night, without weekends.
In 1977, Suzanne Ciani collaborated with Domenico Monardo, known as 'Meco,' in creating the album 'Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk,' which featured disco and electronic soundtracks from the popular 'Star Wars' series. The experiment was so successful that the album was certified 'platinum' in the United States. In the late 1970s, Ciani continued to collaborate with television and even composed soundtracks for several films. As the 1980s approached, she became interested in more serious genres and combined traditional instruments with electronic sound in her new age style. Her debut album 'Seven Waves' was released in Japan in 1982 and later reissued in the United States in 1984 by Atlantic Records producers. From 1987, Ciani worked with the label 'Private Music,' which released her new recordings and reissued previously recorded compositions. In the 1990s, Ciani established her own label, 'Seventh Wave,' which released her new works. In 1994, she visited Moscow, where she recorded 'Dream Suite' in collaboration with the 'Young Russia Orchestra'; this composition was later nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2006, Ciani received the Independent Music Awards, and she also serves as a judge for the program, assisting young musicians. Overall, Suzanne Ciani has recorded approximately 15 albums and several dozen singles, with five of her works being nominated for Grammy Awards.
