Elizabeth Millar

Perth (Western Australia, Australia)
Performer (clarinet) • Sound artist

Elizabeth Millar is an experimental musician, sound-artist and clarinetist, based in Montréal since 2009. Engaging with sound, noise, free improvisation and self-made instrument building, her creative practice explores the merging of acoustic and electronic textures using amplification and extended techniques.

Active locally, nationally and internationally she has performed throughout Canada and in Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Mexico. Alongside her solo work, she is also one member of Sound of the Mountain, an amplified clarinet and trumpet duo with Craig Pedersen. She performs regularly with Montréal-based Ensemble Supermusique and with a variety of collaborators, including Érick d’Orion, Joane Hétu, Anne-F Jacques, Tetuzi Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura. She is co-founder of Mystery & Wonder Records.

Her 2019 solo release no instrument machine, air, extends the timbral and textural scope of her work with amplified clarinet, adding machine hums, metallic resonances and low frequency air noise, generated by self-made instruments made from recycled electronic components.

Recent highlights include performances at Open Waters Festival Halifax (2019), Rencontres de Musique Spontanée Rimouski (2019), IMOO Festival Ottawa (2018, ’19), Open Ears Festival Kitchener Ontario (2018), Make It Up Club Festival Australia (2018), Codes d’accès Montréal (2018), Suoni per il Popolo Festival Montréal (2017, ’18, ’19) and KLEX festival Malaysia (2017); a residency with Tone List in Perth, Australia (2018) and a 3-month independent residency in Tokyo (2017).