Kara-Lis Coverdale

Kara-Lis Coverdale, also known as K-LC, is a Canadian composer, musician, producer, based in Montreal, Quebec. Coverdale is known equally for her piano, organ, and keyboard work as she is for her experimental electronic projects; often her work integrates the two, blurring the lines between traditional composition and research-based modernism. Her 25 minute album Grafts (2017) was named an album of the year by Noisey, Crack, Boomkat, Resident Advisor, Tinymixtapes, and more. Coverdale began studying music and piano at age 5. An improvisational virtuoso at a young age, she had composed and performed her own music before age 10. Her mother is an Estonian visual artist and her father a builder and entrepreneur. She was a competitive pianist until she went to Music school at The University of Western Ontario, where she studied piano, composition, and musicology with Gwen Beamish, Omar Daniel, David Myska, and Jay Hodgson. She later studied in the MIT (Media Information Technologies) program. Canadian pianist Ann Southam presented her with the promising young artist award at The Contemporary Music Showcase in Toronto. At Western Coverdale became captivated by the practice of electroacoustic music and began integrating electronics and digital processes into her work. The Kurzweil K2500 was the first sampler she ever worked with. Her Masters thesis is a study of timbre and realism in recorded music which addresses how "reality" is constructed through sound design and recording technology. Since age 13, Coverdale has been the organist and music director at several churches across Canada. Sacred music is an influence in her acoustic composition work, as is Estonian choral and folk music. She claims to be a saturationist, and says Napster has been one of her biggest influences. Coverdale is known for her live performances that are highly dynamic, powerful and confrontational across a varied spectrum. She has earned praise from Arvo Pärt (she also appears in the documentary "That Pärt Feeling" by Paul Hegeman), Brian Eno, and several other artists.