James Poke
Encyclopedia
James Poke is a musician, primarily known as artistic director and co-founder of the ensemble Icebreaker
.
Poke studied music at the University of York
and composition with Erich Urbanner
at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna
. With John Godfrey
he founded Icebreaker in 1989. As well as running the group, he also plays flutes
, pan-pipes, keyboards and WX11 wind synthesiser
in the ensemble. He has arranged many pieces for Icebreaker and produced or co-produced several of Icebreaker's albums. He also works as a music copyist.
He also has a strong interest in politics and is currently treasurer of the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, and chair of the West Surrey
Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.
Icebreaker (band)
Icebreaker is a UK-based new music ensemble founded by James Poke and John Godfrey. The group have established themselves as one of the UK's leading new music interpreters specializing particularly in post-minimal and "totalist" repertoire. They always play amplified and have a reputation for...
.
Poke studied music at the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
and composition with Erich Urbanner
Erich Urbanner
Erich Urbanner is an Austrian composer and teacher.-Biography:Urbanner studied from 1955 to 1961 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, in the composition classes of Karl Schiske and Hanns Jelinek, as well as studying piano with Grete Hinterhofer and conducting with Hans Swarowsky...
at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. With John Godfrey
John Godfrey
John Ferguson Godfrey, PC is a Canadian educator, journalist and former Member of Parliament.- Education :He was born in Toronto, Ontario. His father, Senator John Morrow Godfrey , was a Canadian pilot, lawyer and politician. John Godfrey graduated from Upper Canada College in 1960...
he founded Icebreaker in 1989. As well as running the group, he also plays flutes
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, pan-pipes, keyboards and WX11 wind synthesiser
Yamaha WX5
The Yamaha WX5/WX11/WX7 are models of monophonic MIDI wind controller musical instruments manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation. They have fingering similar to a flute, clarinet or saxophone. Like a keyboard controller, wind controllers send MIDI note information electronically to an external...
in the ensemble. He has arranged many pieces for Icebreaker and produced or co-produced several of Icebreaker's albums. He also works as a music copyist.
He also has a strong interest in politics and is currently treasurer of the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign, and chair of the West Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
Palestinian Solidarity Campaign.
Discography
Playing flutes, pan-pipes, wind synthesiser and keyboards:- Icebreaker, Official Bootleg (ICC, 1991, live album, cassette only)
- Graham FitkinGraham FitkinGraham Fitkin is a British composer, pianist and conductor. His compositions fall broadly into the minimalist and postminimalist genres...
, Hook, Mesh, Stub, Cud (Argo, 1993) (with Icebreaker) - Short Cuts – Breaking the sound Barrier – An Argo Sampler (Argo, 1994) (with Icebreaker)
- Icebreaker, Terminal Velocity (Argo, 1994)
- Icebreaker, Trance (Argo, 1996)
- Century XXI UK A–M (New Tone, 1996) (with Icebreaker)
- Bang on a CanBang on a CanBang on a Can is a multi-faceted classical music organization based in New York City. It was founded in 1987 by three American composers who remain its artistic directors: Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon...
, Industry (Sony Classical, 1995) - Icebreaker, Rogue's Gallery (New Tone, 1997)
- Icebreaker, Diderik WagenaarDiderik WagenaarDiderik Wagenaar is a Dutch composer and musical theorist.-Life and work:Wagenaar has lived and worked all his adult life in The Hague. Born to a musical family that includes Johan Wagenaar, he began playing piano at the age of eight and by the time he was fourteen had set his sights on a musical...
(Composers' Voice / Donemus, 2001) (also co-producer) - Icebreaker, Extraction (between the lines, 2001) (also producer)
- Bang on a Can, Louis AndriessenLouis AndriessenLouis Andriessen is a Dutch composer and pianist based in Amsterdam. He teaches composition at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague...
: Gigantic Dancing Human Machine (Cantaloupe , 2003) - Icebreaker, Trance (Cantaloupe Music, 2004) (also producer)
- Icebreaker, Cranial Pavement (Cantaloupe Music, 2005) (also co-producer)
- Icebreaker, Terminal Velocity (Cantaloupe Music, 2005) (also producer)
- Icebreaker, Music with Changing Parts (Orange Mountain Music, 2007) (also producer)