SVETLANA MARAS

CV

Svetlana Maraš (1985) is a composer and sound artist working in the field of experimental music. Born in Kragujevac, Serbia, based and living in Basel, Switzerland.

Maraš is Professor of Creative Music Technology and Co-head of Electronic Studio at Hochschule für Musik FHNW, Basel. She is former head of Electronic Studio at Radio Belgrade.

"Experimental music rooted in electronic sound has been my environment since early childhood. My work has grown in this environment, and I have a strong sense of belonging to the field. What i do, is shaped by both compositional and artistic thinking. My formats predominantly are: live performance, composition, sound sculpture/installation.

My setup for the live performance is conceived as a hybrid technological instrument, focused on unlocking the hidden creative potential of commercial, affordable devices, enabling virtuosic real-time manipulation of electronic sound. I prioritise live performance over the recording format, which I approach critically and use only selectively.
I am strongly focused on sound installations (sculptures) such as Jazz, which employ existing technologies to construct complex signal-chain ecosystems. I also build custom instruments, like Tablebook, merging my interest in objects, circuitry, performative interaction, and sculpture.

I have been challenged and inspired to think how Electronic Studios should work, by having a job as head of Electronic Studio twice. From 2016-2021, as composer in residence and artistic director at Radio Belgrade’s Electronic studio, together with the team of Radio Belgrade 3, I established numerous programs like artistic residencies, educational courses and most notably, restoration of EMS Synthi 100. During that time, I developed works such as Jezik (shortlisted for Prix Italia), live performances for radio with the use of Synthi - Radio Concert No.1 and Radio Concert No.2, as well as Post-excavation activities, the work which has brought me the most prestigious Serbian composition prize the “Mokranjac”, awarded by the Serbian Composers' Association in 2021. Currently, I am co-head of EMS in Basel, where I also teach."

I performed and presented my work internationally, at venues, festivals and events such as CTM (Berlin), Ars Electronica (Linz), Wien Modern, International Music Institute (Darmstadt), Palais de Tokyo (Paris), Kunstmuseum (Basel), Haus der Kunst (Munich), Kampnagel (Hamburg), Ruhr Triennale, House of Electronic Arts (Basel), Musikprotokoll (Graz), Heroines of Sound (Berlin), Onassis Cultural Centre (Athens), Museum of Contemporary Art (Belgrade), Izlog Suvremenog Zvuka (Zagreb), ICMC (New York), ISEA (Dubai), Orpheus Institute (Ghent) and many other places. I was composer in residence at Bern Music Festival in 2025. As a guest lecturer I teach at numerous institutions worldwide.

I was SHAPE artist for 2020. Since 2022, and I work at the Zürich Stadt - Music Commission. Jury member of Kompositionspreis der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart since 2025.