The Voice and Overtone Singing

In ’72 Roberto Laneri begins working on extra-european musical cultures and vocal techniques. Founding member of EVT (Extended Vocal Techniques) connected with the Center for Music Experiment at UCSD. In ’73 founds PRIMA MATERIA (see VOICE, OVERTONE SINGING), a vocal improvisation group which uses vocal techniques from Central Asia and Tibet in long sessions of great fascination and intensity. The group’s debut takes place at the Autunno Musicale (Como), and for 7 years participates at prestigious festivals and events all over Europe, with great public and critical success. A partial list includes Autunno Musicale in Como, Metamusik-Berlin, Musik der Zeit (Cologne), Pro Musica Nova (Bremen), Zagreb Biennale, Nuova Consonanza, Teatro Musica (Rome), Holland Festival, Milano Estate, Oriente-Occidente (Lugano), L’Itineraire (Parigi).

PRIMA MATERIA records for several radio stations: WBAI (New York), KPFK (Los Angeles), WDR (Cologne), RIAS-Berlin, BRT (Bruxelles), Radio Lugano, Radio Bremen, RAI, and records the LP THE TAIL OF THE TIGER for the Ananda, label, founded by Roberto Laneri with Alvin Curran and Giacinto Scelsi (‘ 77).
PRIMA MATERIA ceases its activity in 1980, and since then Roberto Laneri appears in solo recitals (voice, electronics, clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano and sopranino saxophones) and a variety of musical situations, most often playing his own music. Occasionally in duo with other musicians, among whom Stephanie Wolff, Peter Michael Hamel, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Christina Kubisch, Daniele Patumi. Vocal research does not stop at overtone singing, but branches out into African techniques (pygmy yodelling) and falsetto used in the performance of medieval and renaissance music.

In 1999 founds the group IN FORMA DI CRISTALLI, which includes overtone singers from Rome and Florence (see projects). In ’91 Roberto Laneri starts writing LA VOCE DELL’ARCOBALENO: origini, tecniche e applicazioni pratiche del canto armonico, his first book on overtone singing published in 2002 by Il Punto di’Incontro, Vicenza(www.edizionilpuntodincontro.it): “a truly unique work, including several easy to read exercises, which helps us to decode the evolution of civilization, both in the East and the West, from a perspective of sound and harmonic philosophy”.
In 2013 his second book, dedicated to the pratice of overtone singing, is published bt Terre Sommerse (Rome).
A new group, NEL CIELO DI INDRA, is born at the end of 2014 and is expected to debut in 2015.