Aurora Borealis Duo - Biography
The Aurora Borealis Duo was founded in 2004 after percussionist, Stephen Solook and
soprano, Tiffany DuMouchelle were asked to collaborate in a performance of Roberto
Sierra’s “Invocationes” for voice and percussion at Mannes College. Since that time, the
duo has intensively developed their ensemble’s driving force: composer-performer
collaboration. Actively working in conjunction with composers in the NYC area,
together they have premiered dozens of new works, by composer such as Bruce Adolphe,
Keith Fitch, Raphael Fusco, David Loeb, Richard Russell, Jorge Sosa, David Tcimpidis,
and Davide Zannoni, among many others. Aurora Borealis has frequently appeared as a
guest ensemble for the Mannes Composition Department and has been sponsored by the
department in a series of concerts featuring works written for Aurora Borealis by faculty,
students, staff, alumni, and the visiting composers-in-residence of the Mannes College of
Music.
Aurora Borealis offers a unique repertoire diverse in nature, an eclectic mixture of
newly composed works and arrangements of traditional songs, arias, and folksongs,
which are played primarily on the marimba. A compelling variety of musical traditions
from diverse cultures is integrated into their repertoire, from western classical traditions,
to South Indian Konnokol (Rhythm Singing), to Native American, Japanese, and Spanish
influences. These combinations often lead to new and exciting instrument combinations.
It is through combining such a wide spectrum of colors through ethnic and musical
diversity, that Aurora Borealis hopes to educate their audience both from a social and
musical perspective. Public outreach programs, both for children and adults, play an
important role in the duo’s performance schedule. Recent performances have included
benefit concerts for Autism Speaks and Amnesty International, along with a performance
tour through New England and Michigan, and multiple performances in New York City.