Erika Stucky

Erika Stucky (born 1962 in San Francisco) is a Swiss musician, singer, composer, and accordionist, best known for her solo albums Jimi, Princess (2005), Suicidal Yodels (2007), Black Widow (2013), Call Me Helium (2015), and Papito (2017). The same year, she took over the role held by Linda Ronstadt in the opera Escalator Over The Hill, composed by Carla Bley, libretto by Paul Haines; Carla Bley herself played the piano at the Essen Philharmonic live concert. In 2007, she was one of three protagonists in Stefan Schwietert's documentary Heimatklänge, which follows three singers (Noldi Alder and Christian Zehnder) and questions their relationship with Swiss tradition. In 2010, she premiered George Gruntz's opera Milk & Honey at Basel's Stadttheater, with a ballet choreographed by Richard Wherlock. In the same year, she gave concerts with the Stucky & Roots project at the Swiss Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo; Stuckys performance in front of Swiss politicians and her contemporary vision of tradition caused a scandal in Switzerland. In 2011, with her producer Knut Jensen, she founded the Ping Pong Project, where ukulele, mini-accordion, laptop and voice meet; broadcasting live on stage her films shot in Shanghai. In the same year, she took part in Raindogs Revisited, a tribute to Tom Waits directed by David Coulter of The Pogues, featuring Arthur H, Jane Birkin, Steve Nieve, The Tiger Lillies, Camille O'Sullivan and St Vincent. In 2012, between Stockholm and London, she recorded the album Black Widow", featuring Tom Waits' historic collaborator Michael Blair and Terry Edwards. In 2014, Stucky created the show Wally und die Sieben Geier with the Austrian orchestra Da Blechhauf'n, playing a mythical character who lives in the Alps among seven vultures. In 2018, she recorded an album with a baroque octet (La Cetra), featuring former member of the German group Einstürzende Neubauten, F.M. Einheit, and also countertenor Andreas Scholl. Including a cover of Lucio Dalla's Italian song Caruso. In 2024 she is touring with her new Program Ice Orkestra. For the first time she worked with the musicians Julien Annoni and Serge Vuille.

Distinction PRIX Stucky received the Swiss Kleinkunst Prize for Bubble Town in 1996. In 1998/99, she was awarded a work year stipend by the City of Zurich. In 2010, she received the Valais Culture Prize, in 2014 she was nominated for the Swiss Music Prize and in 2017 the Recognition Prize of the Canton of Zurich for the album Papito. In 2020, she was awarded the Grand Prix Music from the Swiss Federal Office of Culture. In July 2020, the Swiss Federal Department of Culture awarded him the Grand Prix Suisse de Musique 2023. In 2026 she received the Art Award of the City of Zurich.

Discography

We Love You, The Sophisticrats FunKey, 1990 Bubbles & Bones, Traumton Records, 2001 Lovebites, Traumton Records, 2003 Jimi (Doran, Stucky, Studer, Clarke), Double Moon Records, 2005 Princess, Traumton Records, 2005 Suicidal Yodels, Traumton Records, 2007 Stucky Live 1985-2010, Traumton Records, 2011 Black Widow, Traumton Records, 2013 Papito, Traumton Records, 2017