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Lisa Gerrard

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Lisa Gerrard is an Australian singer, musician and composer, born in Melbourne in 1961. She grew up in Prahran, a neighbourhood with many Greek residents, and later said that the Mediterranean music coming from the houses strongly influenced her. In Melbourne's experimental post-punk scene, the Little Band scene, she met Brendan Perry. She sang in the post-punk group Microfilm and in 1981 founded Dead Can Dance with Perry, of which she remained a member until 2022. With Perry she explored many traditional and modern styles and laid the foundation for what has come to be called neoclassical dark wave.

Music and breakthrough

Gerrard is known for her remarkable vocal technique, glossolalia, a language of her own without words, with a dramatic contralto and a range of three octaves. She released solo albums such as The Mirror Pool in 1995 and worked on more than forty-eight film scores. For the music of Gladiator from 2000, together with Hans Zimmer, she received a Golden Globe. She also wrote for The Insider, Whale Rider and Balibo, which won an ARIA Award. She also recorded Immortal Memory.

Influence

Her voice sounds both ancient and contemporary and has become a fixture in film music, where she conveys emotion without ordinary lyrics.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to her singing in the music of Gladiator and notice the wordless, flowing voice above the orchestral sound. Can you hear how her voice is used as an instrument?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: Artists