Naomi Perera spent her early adult years living across China, Spain and Sri Lanka before returning back home to the UK. This sense of adventure and exploration of the unknown directly translates into her artistic endeavours, with her music characterised by risk and improvisatory flair.
Perera’s “virtuoso flute playing” (Eighth Day Magazine) has been witnessed extensively throughout the UK and Europe, in warehouses, galleries and concert halls. She has played with a wide range of artists including members of prog band Hawkwind, Leicester Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Carnatic singer Supriya Nagarajan. She is always curious and has collaborated with many non-musicians, including dancers, nuclear physicists and live film artists.
In her solo work Perera pushes the boundaries of the flute through unexpected extended techniques; channelling the noise of gushing wind, percussive beats and atmospheric bamboo/whistle tones with an ease and informality that is infectious. She enhances this further through electronics and pedal work, bringing an experimental sonic trajectory to her work that carefully straddles the line between accessible and avante garde.
Perera also spends considerable time performing with a range of other artists. This ranges from touring with her cosmic/psychedelic/dance band GU-RU to funded cross-discipline collaborations with lighting, tech and art professionals.
She is currently undertaking a PhD by Performance at the University of York where her research focuses on exploring alternative context performances. This work has looked at how contemporary music can be informalized and performed in less traditional venues to wider audiences. This disruption of orthodoxy and rejection of the notion that ‘niche music is for niche audiences’ is what drives her future artistic ventures.