Whether performing solo with amplified clarinet, voice & electronics, leading blindfolded chamber ensembles, or conducting a full theater house as a beat-boxing choir, American artist Beth Fleenor has a penchant for surprising audiences into embracing that magic is indeed possible. From 100,000 seat rock festivals, and maximum-security prisons, to some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, Fleenor uses sound to open the channels of communication between and within individuals and environments. Grounded in the idea that “art is the discipline of being,” her work has been heard in live music, recordings, theater, performance art, installation, modern dance, and film. Crafting moments that ricochet between meditation and a full body purge, Fleenor is an electric, adrenaline inducing performer voted Seattle’s Best Classical Musician and nominated for NW Vocalist of the Year.
Also known by the moniker Crystal Beth, Fleenor sings in her own invented language and has been described as “world music from an imaginary planet..quite compelling & magical” (Seattle Times), and ”a supremely versatile and virtuosic maverick” (The Stranger). In short, “Beth Fleenor transcends labels – a multi-talented, creative force in Seattle.” (City Arts Magazine)
Fleenor wholeheartedly believes that “an emphasis on creativity in a culture gives rise to creative solutions to social problems.” Guided by this principle, she beckons us to consider that creativity is intrinsic and necessary to all humans, and that cultivating one’s own relationship with it can in fact change the world, one individual at a time.
Fleenor is honored to have worked with artists such as Wayne Horvitz, Butch Morris, Bobby Previte, Trey Gunn, David Byrne, Terry Riley, Robin Holcomb, Jherek Bischoff, Joshual Kohl, Matana Roberts, Briggan Krauss, Skerik, Amy Denio, Samantha Boshnack, Led To Sea, Mirah, Soko, William O. Smith, Eyvind Kang, Tamar-kali, LaFrae Sci, Malcom Goldstein, Jessika Kenney, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Denney Goodhew, Paris Hurley, Jim Black, Timothy Young, Paul Moore, John Tchicai, Gretta Harley, Bright Archer (Johanna Kunin), Mike Dillon, Parenthetical Girls, Robin Lynn Smith, Gino Yevdjevich/KULTUR SHOCK, Shane Perish, Implied Violence, Paul Budraitis, Jessica Lurie, Jeff Huston, Bill Patton, Monktail Creative Music Concern, Tom Swafford, John Burrow, Matthew Richmond, Stephen Parris, Michael Owcharuk, Stephen Fandrich, and Zachary Watkins, among many others.
Fleenor holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Jazz and Classical Clarinet Performance from Cornish College of the Arts. Her work has been supported by Jack Straw Productions, 4Culture, Allied Arts, Artist Trust, the Millay Colony for the Arts, and the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. Originally from Bristol TN/VA, she has been based in Seattle, Washington since 1998.
Press
Awards
Discography
Installations, Scores & Commissions
For complete emersion in Fleenor’s artistic practice please visit https://mybuffalos.wordpress.com/
Beth Fleenor 