Martha Mooke, composer/electro-acoustic violist, a pioneer in the field of electric five string viola, transcends musical boundaries by synthesizing her classical music training with extended techniques, digital effects processing, and improvisation. A Yamaha and Thomastik-Infeld Artist, she is a leading clinician on electric and progressive approaches to string playing including the use of electronics, extended techniques, and improvisation.
Founder and violist of the electro-acoustic Scorchio Quartet, Mooke has played with Elton John, David Bowie, Philip Glass, Trey Anastasio, Bon Jovi, Enya, Lou Reed, Tony Bennett, Moby, and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. She has toured with Barbra Streisand, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, and “Star Wars in Concert” and is featured in the award winning documentary, Inside the Perfect Circle.
Mooke’s genre-defying recordings include Enharmonic Vision and Bowing's Café Mars (duo with electric guitarist Randolph Hudson). Her catalog includes works for electric and acoustic instruments, film, theater, dance, and multimedia. She has received awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer and Arts International among others. She was honored with an ASCAP Concert Music Award for conceiving and producing the new music showcase Thru the Walls featuring ASCAP composer/performers whose work defies categorization.
When last in residence, she composed an a cappella choral work, Om Mani Padme Hum, commissioned by Essential Voices USA (Judith Clurman, Music Dir.) Mooke also began work on a multi-faceted book series she describes as part memoir/part musical resource/part manifesto. She is currently Eventide's Artist-in-Residence, and was recently recognized by Yamaha for 20 years as a Yamaha Artist and commitment to music education.
