Liisa Hirsch (b. 1984) studied composition in the Royal Conservatory of The Hague and in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. She has worked as music director at the Estonian Drama Theatre and taught composition in Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Hirsch’s music can be characterized by sensitivity to sound, purity of form and research-oriented approach towards composition. Microtonal reflection can also be observed in her work. Lately, she has been seeking to further the means of concentrated listening. Hirsch has composed music also for film, dance and theatre. She has worked together with S.E.M. Ensemble, Cappella Amsterdam, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Oldenburgisches Staatsorchester, Konzert Minimal, Nordic Affect, Figura Ensemble, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Elblag Chamber Orchestra among others. Her music has been performed at MATA Festival, Transit Festival, Gaudeamus Muziekweek, ISCM World Music Days, Young Euro Classics, Ostrava Music Days, Estonian Music Days, Afekt Festival, Musica Nova, International Arts Festival St. Petersburg and Internationale Stichting Masterclass Apeldoorn.
She has been awarded the 2016 European Composer Award at Young Euro Classics Berlin, and in 2015 Ascending… Descending for solo violin and string orchestra, was a recommended work in the International Rostrum of Composers. George Grella, New York Classical Review: “Hirsch’s music is enveloping and out of time, like the microtonal music of Giacinto Scelsi, but with a different aesthetic and philosophy – she’s spinning out material and setting up a system for organizing it on the fly. The concentrated quiet and listening this demands from the musicians spreads to the audience, there’s a communal experience of witnessing something grow and disappear.”