Kieron Chissik is a composer, producer and creative director of The Cabinet of Living Cinema. He composes for theatre and film using piano, viola, guitar and loop-pedals to build up layers of melody, “soundscapes” and live sound-effects. A range of world, folk and electronic music inflects his style as well as a belief in keeping music live, the accidental and semi-improvised being integral elements of his working practice. Kieron began his musical career as a chorister at Winchester Cathedral under Martin Neary and David Hill. He studied Film and Philosophy at Glasgow University (MA Hons), and has since worked as a composer/performer for Future Cinema, Secret Cinema, The Paper Cinema (2008-2010), the Cabinet of Living Cinema, European Theatre Company (Romeo & Juliet, Naples Theatre Festival, 2010), The Jewish Museum (Goldin’s East and West live score, 2011), Sonja Linden (The Man Who Became a Room, 2012), Victoria and Albert Museum (Things to Come, 2013), British Library (Eisenstein’s Strike! Live score, 2013) and collaborations with choreographer Marcin Rudy (Song of the Goat). Scores include Breakdown or Breakthrough (Rose, 2012), Boys with Broken Ears (Shayeghi, 2013) and Oxi: An Act of Resistance (McMullen, 2014). Since 2014 he has dedicated his career to collaborative and participatory projects with the Cabinet, bringing live cinema into communities and working with emerging artists and musicians.
Theatre, documentary and film scores by Kieron Chissik
Gogol’s The Nose
Live theatre score for adaptation of the Nose by puppetry/commedia dell’arte company, Carnival of Objects, 2012/2013
Iran’s Sporting Dreamers
Score for Documentary (Aljazeera and independent release, Nima Shayeghi, 2013)
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Breakdown or Breakthrough: pregnancy, birth and the first 18 months of life’
Documentary score, 2012 (in partnership with NSPCC and Warwick Medical School)
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The Man Who Became a Room
Kieron, Jack Maguire and Zac Gvirtzman created a live score to The Man Who Became a Room, a performance inspired by Rachel Lichenstein/ Iain Sinclair’s best-seller Rodinsky’s Room. 2012 (produced by Sonja Linden)
BBC Radio 4: Something Understood
Music contributor, 2012
Romeo and Juliet
Score devised and performed live by Kieron (Fender Strat, 2 Line 6 DL4s), Naples Theatre Festival, June 2010
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The new show of the European Theatre Company, created in 2008 by the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia, with director Alexander Zeldin and dramaturg Hussein Omar, becomes a multiethnic and multilanguage tragedy, pervaded by the conflicts between fathers and sons, Europeans and immigrants. The young English director succeeds in giving us a realistic portrait of contemporary Europe, and at the same time involves in his metaphor a cast made up of North-african and Middle-eastern actors, Italian immigrants of first and second generation. The show is designed by George Tsypin and lit by Jean Kalman with music by Kieron Chissik and costumes by Daniela Salernitano and the associate director and voice coach is Barbara Houseman. – Press Release, Naples Theatre Festival, May, 2010
BBC Radio 3: Late Junction
00:18: Kieron and Zac Gvi — Kieron Chissik: Groatless Sailors
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The Paper Cinema
Scores devised by Kieron (flamenco guitar, viola, foley): Night Flyer, King Pest & Lost World (2008-2010)
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Art + Cinema = Dark Energy
Films by Ken McMullen, live scores by Kieron Chissik, 2008
The Jewish Museum
Live score for East & West commissioned by the Jewish Museum, 2010 and performed by Kieron (guitar, viola) and Zac Gvirtzman (accordion, clarinet).
Roxy Bar & Screen
Live score for Faust by Jan Svankmajer commissioned by Roxy Bar & Screen, 2007 (Kieron Chissik, Sandy Bartai and Chris Reed).