Corin Curschellas

Jeu sundel en ina fasa dalla veta nua ch’igl ei sco sche mellis dutgs vegnessen ensemen per sbuccar ella mar. Ei vegn tut pli ruasseivel, ferm e curaschus, pli clar e concentrau.

A good part of Corin Curschellas’ musical work has an ethnographic aspect. She collects excerpts of Romansh cultural heritage – in the case of "Origins (trad)" she used the archive "Alfons Maissen" from the 1930s. She makes these texts known through her albums and concerts and the songbook "La Grischa" that she is working on. The book "La Grischa" contains, besides the lyrics and harmonies to the songs in the albums "La Grischa" and Origins (trad.)", much ethnographical musical information by Iso Albin. This ethnographical engagement has caused her to become known as the "Grande Dame of contemporary and traditional Romansh Song" . At the same time Corin Curschellas distances herself from Pop-style Alpine Folklore.

From the program Mono comes Corin Curschellas’ musical rendition of the Canzun de Sontga Margriata (English: Song of Saint Margaret), one of the oldest Romansh texts in existence. The song tells how St. Margaret, who has dressed up as an alpine dairyman, works on the Alp, but by accident her disguise is unexpectedly revealed. Corin Curschellas interprets the song in the context of nature conservation and sustainability.

In 2014 she worked on the cultural-political project ”Uccelin – eine Singvogel Suite” (Uccelin – a Songbird Suite). Die Suite pays Hommage to and supports the art project «Uccellin» (English Little Bird) of the Chur artist Hans Danuser. The content deals with children's Counting-out games and the political theme is the influence of politics on art.

The concert project “Suisse Miniature” forms part of the same theme. The project was born out of one of the “Convivenza-Events” of Lia Rumantscha in the year 2010. By 2013, a collection of songs in the three original languages of Graubünden, Walser German, Italian and Romansh had come about. The name of the project refers to the Open Air Theatre "Suisse Miniature" in Melide, Ticino on the one hand and on the other the fact that the Canton Graubünden represents both culturally and linguistically a kind of Switzerland in miniature.

In 2008 Corin Curschellas played in the series Jimmy Flitz by Roland Zoss, where she spoke the part of Tigerfliege (Tigerfly) and sang. In 2009 she performed as speaker and singer in Fritz Hauser's radio play Am Rande des Horizonts (On the Edge of the Horizon). In 2012 she played in the radio play Ustrinkata of Arno Camenisch SRF 1 in a role as speaker.

In 2007 Corin Curschellas acted in the Film Marmorera.

In 2006 und 2007 Corin Curschellas played the part of Frau Rossi in the Musical Die schwarzen Brüder (The Black Brothers) 2008 she acted in the Musical Elternabend (Parent's Evening) at the Theater am Hechtplatz.

Since 2005 the artist has lived in Zürich and in the Surselvan Rueun about 30 kilometers outside of Chur. In Rueun she lives together with her life partner, the sculptor Linard Nicolay, in the house that belonged to her grandparents and where she used to spend her childhood holidays.

Corin Curschellas started to do solo performances in 2005:

In 2003 Corin Curschellas composed the music for the TV drama, Marilyn by Stina Werenfels together with Christian Rösli

Besides this, Corin Curschellas composes songs for Michael von der Heide (for example the award-winning Jeudi amour, 1998), and previously for Vera Kaa und Dodo Hug.

From 1993 to 1997, Corin Curschellas was lead singer for the "Vienna Art Orchestra". She toured with this Orchestra once again in 2009.

With La Pura in 1992 her first concern with ethnographic issues lies quite far back in the past. However, Corin Curschellas sees in it a biographical connection.

From 1983 until 1989 Curschellas lived in Berlin, followed by two years in Basel. A grant she received enabled her to move to Paris in 1991, where she ended up living until 2000, with a two-year break she spent in New York from 1995 to 1997. Between 2000 and 2005 she alternated between Paris and Zürich.

Corin Curschellas produced her first substantial composition in 1979/1980 while she was still studying. It was a theatrical composition for the play Woman by Edward Bond at the National Theatre in Zürich – Schauspielhaus Zürich, directed by George Gruntz.

From 1977 to 1983 she studied theatre and theatre pedagogy at the Zurich University of the Arts as well as three semesters of Music Sciences at the University of Zurich.

From 1977 to 1983 Corin Curschellas worked together with Walter Lietha, where they produced albums like "Die Fahrenda" (The Travellers) or "Liebi Schwiizer guet Nacht" (Goodnight, dear Swiss).

Corin Curschellas (Romansh pronunciation: [ˈkɔrin kurˈʃeːlɐs] ; born 2 July 1956) is a Swiss singer-songwriter, vocalist (jazz, folk music, world music, chanson), free improvisation, actress (theatre, film, musical), voice actress in (radio drama and audio books) as well as voice instructress.

Curschellas was born in 1956 in Chur (Graubünden, Switzerland where she grew up. She attended the local state school in Chur, Kantonsschule Chur, and completed her studies in 1977 with a Primary Teacher's Certificate.