Creating Sonic Spaces: An Interview with Natasha Barrett

Natasha Barrett is a freelance composer who currently lives in Norway. Her compositional output consists of works for instruments and live electronics, sound installations, dance, theatre, and animation projects, but all her energy seems to stem from her acousmatic composition. In 2006, she received the Nordic Council Music Prize the most prestigious recognition for a Nordic composer. She has also received awards from the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (1995, 1998, 2004), Concurso Internacional de Miisica Electroacustica de Sao Paulo (2001), the International Rostrum for Electroacoustic Music (2002), and the Noroit Electroacoustic Music Competition in France (1998, 2002), among others. Barrett's projects are frequently commissioned by international organizations, and her music is available on the Empreintes DIGITALes, Cultures electroniques/Mnemosyne Musique Media, Centaur, Computer Music Journal Sound Anthology, Prix Noroit, and Aurora labels. Her studies include a master's degree at Birmingham University with Jonty Harrison and a doctoral degree supervised by Denis Smalley at City University, London. Table 1 provides a list of her compositions. This interview took place at the International Computer Music Conference in Barcelona, Spain, on 8 September 2005, and was focused primarily on the composer's thoughts on spatialization. Since this interview took place, the transcription has been augmented with additional information in subsequent communication with Ms. Barrett.