If you find yourself stomping the grounds of Old Town Scottsdale next Thursday night you might want to heed the haunting melodies dwindling from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.
Inside you'll find visual artist/vocalist Anna Vivette performing songs off of her debut album, Coloratura; a dark operatic take on electronica musings anchored by Vivette's classically-trained coloratura soprano.
Over the last 10 years the Chicago-transplant has been living in Arizona, honing her sound which she describes as a fusion between Sarah Brightman, Portishead and 90's New Ager Enigma. Teaming up with Phoenix-based Fervor Records President and renowned composer Jeff Freundlich as well as touring Marilyn Manson bassist Andy Gerold, the trio collaborated to produce a sound that's equally ambient and alluring without all the Gregorian chanting.
The album officially drops on Tuesday, April 24, on Fervor Records, with the official release party going down Thursday, April 26, inside the SMoCA Lounge from 6:30 p.m. until 9. Sample a track after the jump and head over to Vivette's website for a free download of "Illusions of the East."
"I would say it has an electronic, chill-out lounge, classical crossover feeling to it," Vivette says of the release. "I've been heavily influenced by performers like Enya, Enigma and Portishead; bands like that always had an impact on me.
"When music resonates with you it influences you to the point that you find yourself hurling in that direction," she says. "This is the first opportunity I've had to make something that sounded like what I wanted to hear."
Also on hand at the Janis Leonard-designed SMoCa Lounge will be Vivette's album cover designer and artistic mentor Shahrokh Rezvani to sign prints of the piece.
"Coming from a big city like Chicago, that's really defined culturally and has an identity that's really strong, in the arts especially; I feel like Phoenix is still finding itself artistically and that is an interesting thing in itself because I think when you're taking part in the arts out here you're helping to define that identity," she says. "I'm not saying I'm going to make a huge dent or anything ... but it's exciting."
