Moira Smiley is a singer and composer who creates and performs new work for voices.
A musical polyglot and vocal shape-shifter, her voice—and composing—are heard on multiple feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and more than 60 albums worldwide. As a well-known choral composer and arranger (recent commissions including the Los Angeles Master Chorale and arranger), millions of singers around the world interpret her works.
Moira’s recordings feature spare, vocally driven collections of warped traditional songs, original polyphony, and body percussion. She accompanies herself with banjo, accordion, piano, and percussive movement.
When not leading her group, moira smiley & VOCO, Moira tours with independent artists such as tUnE-yArDs, Irish super-group Solas, The Lomax Project, and Billy Childs’ “Laura Nyro Re-Imagined”. She has also toured with Paul Hillier’s Theater of Voices and KITKA.
Recent solo performances include TED, Stravinsky’s ‘Les Noces’, the London Proms Festival, features on BBC Radio3, and ABC Australia’s Books & Arts programs. In 2018, she released a solo album and choral songbook called ‘Unzip The Horizon’.