Maria Siskova, a 24-year-old singer, sound designer, composer, and researcher, is based in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she works part-time as a sound engineer and partners in a small company, Arts & Tech, providing production support for all genres of music. While she enjoys collaborating with artists, her passion lies in composing and sound research—particularly in the emerging field of “gesturally controlled music.”

Grant funding from Hunter’s Fund has helped Maria develop immersive performances where movement creates music in real time. In her recent “sonic playground,” four quadrants of the stage were soundscaped from her travel recordings—replicating the sea, wind, desert, and more. Each space features unique instruments she has built or collected. By choreographing movements through these zones, performers create live sound without traditional equipment, fostering greater audience connection.

Maria presented her work at the Intelligent Instrument Lab in Reykjavik, with hopes for a future university residency and sound installations in schools to encourage creative movement and body confidence in children. She credits Hunter’s Fund for believing in her vision and helping her continue her journey of performances, compositions, and research.