Bjork to tour

BJÖRK BRINGS BIOPHILIA LIVE SHOW BACK TO NORTH AMERICA

NEW 2013 LIVE DATES INCLUDE IN-THE-ROUND PERFORMANCES AND EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS
IN SAN FRANCISCO AND LOS ANGELES

Photo credit: Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin

Björk is set to bring her live Biophilia show back to North America this spring and summer. The dates include three shows in San Francisco and two at the Hollywood Palladium where the venueshave been set to her original Biophilia specifications as audio-visual shows in an intimate, in-the-round setting. In addition to her Biophilia performances Björk will also appear at the Hollywood Bowl on June 2 and at Echo Beach in Toronto on July 16 along with three festival appearances: headlining the eighth annual Pitchfork Festival on July 19, Bonnaroo on June 15, and the RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa on July 13. Tickets for the North American shows go on pre-sale April 2 and will be available to the public on April 4; please see below for a complete list of dates.

Björk’s Biophilia Education Program, a series of interactive workshops designed teach students about the relationships between music, science and technology, has been held in Manchester, Reykjavík, Oslo, Buenos Aires, New York and Paris and is now coming to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Björk's San Francisco concerts, running Wednesday May 22 through Thursday May 28, are in collaboration with the Exploratorium, the world's foremost hands-on museum of science, art and human phenomena, now located at Pier 15 along the Embarcadero in San Francisco. Using the Biophilia App Suite as a focus point, Exploratorium scientists and educators will align a project to each of the 10 songs included, creating a workshop series that engages students both in music and science with creativity, exploration and discovery. The singer will also be collaborating with MOCA to bring the workshops to students in Los Angeles in June. These workshops are funded through sponsors and the sale of VIP tickets to the Biophilia shows.

The 2013 tour dates follow a worldwide series of live performances which first premiered in 2011 at the Manchester International Festival (MIF) in England in what The Wall Street Journal called a “magical evening,” followed by a sold out residency in Björk’s hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland. Further shows have included New York, Buenos Aires and most recently Paris, along with festival performances in Europe and South America. Featuring a set of unique musical instruments including a MIDI-controlled pipe organ and twin musical Tesla coils, KEXP hailed the performance as “enchanting and unforgettable…in the live setting, Björk and her Biophilia ecosystem pulsated, blossomed and flourished.” The show also features an award-winning 24-piece Icelandic female choir and visuals from the Biophilia apps.

Björk has collaborated with app developers, scientists, writers, inventors, musicians, and instrument makers to create a unique multimedia exploration of the universe and its physical forces—particularly those where music, nature, and technology meet. The project is inspired by and explores these relationships between musical structures and natural phenomena, from the atomic to the cosmic. “Biophilia’s songs are astounding,” NPR said. “These songs have room to breathe, employing space and silence as much as melody and harmony. The sparse instrumentation and arrangements become gorgeously intricate meditations on which to build...vocal melodies unfurl more like transcendent devotionals than typical verses, and become even more stirring when accompanied by a chorus of voices that could fill a cathedral.” 

Each performance features songs from Biophilia, Björk’s most interdisciplinary project to date.Stereogum said that “Biophilia is one of 2011’s best releases…the songwriting is sharp, the feel immediate and enveloping.” The 10-track album, out now on Nonesuch/One Little Indian, is available digitally, in CD format and on vinyl. Additionally, each of the 10 songs is available as a special feature of the Biophilia App for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Biophilia was named one of 2011’s Best Apps by Apple and landed on year-end best-of lists from NME, Mojo, The Observer, and Uncut, among others. The latest version is available through In-App Purchase, exclusively at iTunes  and the App Store. Recently Biophilia won “Best Recording Packaging” at the 55th annual Grammy Awards.

BJÖRK BIOPHILIA LIVE SHOWS

May 22 Craneway Pavilion San Francisco, CA

May 25 Craneway Pavilion San Francisco, CA

May 28 Craneway Pavilion San Francisco, CA

June 2 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA

June 5 Hollywood Palladium Los Angeles, CA

June 11 Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA

June 15 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN

July 13 RBC Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, ON

July 16 Echo Beach Toronto, ON

July 19 Pitchfork Festival Chicago, IL