Elaine Samantha Mitchener (born 1970) is a British experimental singer, composer, and dancer. A member of the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

group Apartment House and the electroacoustic act Rolling Calf, she was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

to Jamaican parents. She attended the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London and was later mentored by opera singer Jacqueline Straubinger-Bremar. Her 2017 "cross-disciplinary music piece" ''Sweet Tooth'' debuted at

St George's, Bloomsbury St George's, Bloomsbury, is a parish church in Bloomsbury, London Borough of Camden, United Kingdom. It was designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and consecrated in 1730. The church crypt houses the Museum of Comedy. History The Commissioners for the ...

. Commissioned by the

Bluecoat Arts Centre Built in 1716–17 as a charity school, Bluecoat Chambers in School Lane is the oldest surviving building in central Liverpool, England. Following the Liverpool Blue Coat School's move to another site in 1906, the building was rented from 1907 ...

, the International Slavery Museum, and the Stuart Hall Foundation, it pertains to

slavery in the British Empire Slavery in Britain existed before the Roman occupation and until the 11th century, when the Norman conquest of England resulted in the gradual merger of the pre-conquest institution of slavery into serfdom, and all slaves were no longer recogni ...

, with a focus on the sugar industry. In 2021, she performed ''NAMES II''—a "roll-call of the 2,000 enslaved African people owned by an 18th century Jamaican sugar planter"—at the British Art Show. Mitchener is an associate artist at Wigmore Hall until 2026. Mitchener was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the

2022 Birthday Honours The 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as par ...

for services to music.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchener, Elaine 1970 births British experimental musicians Living people Musicians from London Members of the Order of the British Empire