SMO
Sophie Min Orchestra
Sophie established SMO, 'Sophie Min Orchestra' in 2019. The ensemble launched their debut album 'Bellwether' in May 15th, 2020. In this album, Sophie’s evolving body of musical output showcases a wide range of jazz arranging techniques, and has been influenced by orchestrations from classical chamber music, electronic, minimulism and traditional Korean rhythmic application. Together, Sophie creates a modern vocabulary and a new exploration of the ‘jazz orchestra’ idiom through this project. SMO has received rapid recognitions from major venues, competitions, awards industry representatives in the Australian jazz and improvised music scene such Jazz Bell Awards, SIMA and APRA AMCOS Emerging Composers Program, Freedman Fellowship Award, Perth International Jazz Festival and many more. The recent activities of SMO include the launch of 2nd album 'Your Wings' featuring a 7-piece ensemble and the publication for a series of dance videos/multimedia collaborative work.

Performance Experiences

Doo-Bop Jazz Bar, Main Stage, 2020
Hotel West End Jazz Event, Main Stage, 2021
Queensland Conservatorium, Ian Hanger Recital Hall, 2021
Queen St Mall Main Stage, BrisAsia Festival 2022
KEPK Gallery, Album 'Your Wings' Release 2022

Awards

SIMA and APRA AMCOS Emerging Composers Mentorship Program, Winner, 2020
Queensland Music Finalist in Jazz Category, 2021
Australian Jazz Bell Awards Finalist in Young Jazz Artists Category, 2022
Freedman Fellowship Award Finalist, 2022

Publications

Debut Album 'Bellwether' in 2020 featuring a 12-piece jazz orchestra
Represented Artist / Music Scores Available at ‘Australian Music Centre’
2nd Album 'Your Wings' in 2021 for a 7-piece chamber ensemble
a series of six films for 'Your Wings' directed by Sophie Min: collaborative works with dancer Pru Wilson on the Improvising Dance Art

SMO Bio

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Bellwether

2020

Album 'Bellwether'

"Entitled Bellwether, the genre-bending release showcases Min's introspective numbers fleshed out with everything from vocals to electronics to a string quartet and is a true testament to her skills as both a performer and composer."

- ABC Jazz

'The Launch of Sophie Min Orchestra' Promo Video for

SMO gig featuring Nonsemble at Doobop Jazz Bar

SMO Live, Album Launch 'Bellwether' at Club West End

SMO Live, performance of 'Time is On' and 'Apart from Land' from Album 'Bellwether' at Queen St Mall for BrisAsia Festival 2022

Your Wings

2021

Album
'Your Wings'
-small sophie min orchestra

Sophie's 7-piece ensemble consisting of trumpet, saxophone, violin, vibraphone and 3 piece rhythm section. The group presents a variety range of musical techniques: contemporary music, experimental jazz, avant-garde, new music, modern chamber style and progressive compositions. The smaller version of SMO, which formed with newly arranged instruments and professional performers - the sound of this particular unit introduces the solid partnership between her compositional pools and the musicians' improvisational properties in the album 'Your Wings'. This was created from an innovative body of works for the band to premiere the music reflecting societal issues and each piece embellishes vivid stories of the given topic/titles. The entire body of arrangements is subdivided into Hidden Traps, Order in Disorder, Hovering, Debris Debris, Refuge in Your Wings and Psalm 91:4. After all, the recording also becomes idealistic when orchestration takes the journey to being a storyteller. *These compositions has adapted and refined the participant performers group playing on the top of thoroughly written charts.

This project also includes a series of improvising dance art videos, for bonus items. In the film, Pru Wilson presents improvised movement patterns and draws inspirations from the recordings with comprehensive feelings and explorations.

Improvised choreographic work on Track 'Hidden Traps'.

Composition/director: Sophie Min, Dancer: Pru Wilson, videographer: Andrew Kim

Musicians:
Piano/Compositions - Sophie Min
Bass - Zac Sakrewski
Drums - Benjamin Shannon
Vibraphone & Glockenspiel - Nozomi Omote
Violin - Flora Wong
Trumpet - Tristan Rogers
Flute, Sax and Clarinet - Martin Kay
Voice - Hannah Macklin

Other Collaborators:
Improvising Dancer/Choreographic Artist - Pru Wilson
Recording, Mixing & Mastering - Marly Lüske
Assistant Producer - Luke Cuerel
Album Cover, Banner & Logo Design - Chloe McAlister
Photography & Videography - Andrew Hankyeol Kim
Recorded at Alchemix Studio, January 2022