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LISA KARRER and DAVID SIMONS perform their own compositions for Indonesian Gamelan, Homemade Instruments, Western orchestra, theremin, sampler, computers, opera, new music theater as well as acoustic and electronic arrangements of Estonian, Bosnian, Yiddish, Thai, and other deconstructed world music pieces. They have received numerous grants, commissions and travel awards to perform their operas and other works throughout the U.S., New York City, Hawaii, Indonesia, the Baltics, the Balkans, and throughout Eastern and Western Europe.
As educators Lisa and David have taught music and performance skills in the New York City school system, and in places as far as Kansas, Hawaii, and Poli Talu Arts Center in Estonia. They were on the music faculty of Kripalu Yoga Center, and are both currently on faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University, lecturing on Cross-Cultural Perspectives. David and Lisa are available for individual as well as team-teaching residencies, workshops and assemblies.The press has praised their collaboration:
"The Simons-Karrer Band has abducted the audience on an eccentric journey to understanding their musical landscapes.
Their music is highly original and can't be imitated..."
- St. Johan, Austria Dec '98
for The Birth of George opera CD:
"... outlandish vocal lines, disjointed harmonies, surreal instrumental juxtapositions, and a kitchen sink full of sampled sounds...they sing cartoon-like vaudeville tunes with frenzied climaxes spiked with strange waltzes, tangos, and circus music..."
RN, NewMusicBox, (AMC online) July 2003
other concert appearances:
"What these two showed at yesterday's "Experimenta" matinee at the Frankfurter Hof was a performance standing well apart from well-trodden artistic paths. The interacting relationships between voice, instruments and text create really bizarre effects...With the wink of an eye the duo sends up musical and literary genres. Humorous, exciting and not a minute of boredom."
"By using the voice without any limits and playing obscure instruments found in the world outside of Europe, The New York Performance Artist Lisa Karrer and the Experimental Musician David Simons showed quite clearly where the development of future art directions should go."
"The duo was joined by four members from Tunnetusuksus (Perception Unit), and together they performed an unbelievably exciting and mind-bending set...one of the most stylish, high quality and pure performances of the NYYD Festival."
"Lisa and David easily destroyed all stereotypes. They have re-discovered Estonian music, both in its ancient 5000 year old forms and in its contemporary validity."
"Two rough and ready composers on the homemade instrument/microtonal music circuit venture into high-tech opera!"
"...the voice of Lisa Karrer, along with electronic instrumentalist David Simons won over the audience in Earwing No Jazz Festival. David and Lisa slowly suprised the audience...they held the evening with voice and digital samples, more a performance than a concert. They extracted sympathy and laughter with their [de]constructed songs, some of which interpreted sounds typical of Serbian folk music. "
- Vecernji list/Zagreb Nov 2003
- Mainzer Rhein Zeitung, Germany October '95
- Allgemeine Zeitung , Germany October '95
- Eesti Paevaleht, Estonia Dec '95
- Eesti Paevaleht, Estonia August '95
- Kyle Gann, Village Voice NYC '97 (The Birth Of George)