Eliana Burki – Swiss Alphorn | |||||
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By the time she was five years old, Eliana Burki knew that she wanted to be a professional musician. Born into a musical family in Switzerland, Eliana was expected to take piano lessons. Her mother, a piano teacher, was amazed when the young girl expressed her independent spirit very strongly: “No, thank you, Mom, I’ve decided to play the Swiss alphorn.” And play it she did. At the age of nine, she was giving her first concerts, enchanting audiences with her traditional Alphorn style and winning many awards. Within a few years she was attending the prestigious music conservatory in the Swiss capital of Bern, and then later studying at the Jazz College in Basel. As a teenager, she played mostly classical music, appearing as a guest soloist with various chamber groups and philharmonic orchestras all over Europe, where she played Alphorn music by such diverse composers as Leopold Mozart, Jean Daetwyler, Kaspar Ewald and Daniel Schnyder. When she was seventeen, Eliana made two bold changes in her life. First, she started her own band, bringing together elements of jazz, rock, funk, and blues to form a unique musical fusion around the Swiss Alphorn. At the same time, she decided to turn professional, signing a long-term agreement for management, publishing, and recording with Astrid Van Der Haegen, CEO of Suonix Music. For her debut album, Eliana chose producer/engineer David Richards, owner of Mountain Studios in Montreux, who has worked with artists as diverse as Queen, Chris Rea, and David Bowie. The resulting CD, “Heartbeat – Funky Swiss Alphorn” was released in the spring of 2008 to immediate critical acclaim and best-seller status in its home country. A video of the CD’s first single, “Vacuum Funk,” garnered thousands of hits on YouTube and MySpace. Taking advantage of the momentum, Eliana and her band started touring immediately, playing concerts, festivals, clubs, and TV Shows throughout Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, and eventually all over the world, including successful tours of Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Everywhere she goes, critics have lauded her performances and audiences have fallen in love with her and her unique musical style. She has taken the music of the Alphorn to unprecedented heights, spreading the word about this wonderful side of Swiss culture. And what’s next? Eliana’s upcoming tour of South America will be completed on September 22, and after a short break, she and the band will begin work on their second CD for Suonix, tentatively entitled, “Heavy Wood.” The new production team includes Grammy-winning American producer John Boylan (Linda Ronstadt, Boston, Little River Band) and noted Los Angeles percussionist and educator, Alan Waddington. Plans are to record the CD in Hollywood at the famed Capitol Studios with Eliana’s new band and selected guests. Eliana has already started writing and arranging new material for the project, which she hopes to have ready for release early in 2010. The Eliana Burki BandAdriano Regazzin, 31 – keyboards and accordion
Sam Siegenthaler, 28 - guitars
Manuel Müller – bass Lukas Gasser – drums Contacts:
www.suonix.com More about Eliana Burki:
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