Aneliya Avtandilova is a UK-based composer, musician, collaborator and writer.

 

In the past - Goethe Institute and British Council fellow as an emerging composer, winner of the Swedish Institute-initiated national competition for female musicians born in Russia.

Equally inspired by religious medieval art and Pinterest, Aneliya's work explores the possibilities of languages, themes of place, nature, the unknown and transcendent experiences.

Her solo artistic pseudonym Gdeto (from the Russian word где-то meaning "somewhere") comes from 2017, when she released an EP “Pillow Book”, named after Sei Shōnagon ’s work. 

Her band Cheekbones (aka Chkbns, 2011-2021) has performed at KEXP, SXSW, Canadian Music Week, Reeperbahn Festival and The Great Escape, besides touring around Asia and Europe.

In October 2019 she embarked on a residency to artistic development organisation Metal in Liverpool UK, developing and presenting 'Mass1'.

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Aneliya also has two published books of fairy tales both in her native Russian and in translation, while her English poetry has been featured in the likes of Poetry Matters and Plum Tree Tavern.

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A feature-length film, surreal adventure comedy "Gary, Barry, Larry and Countess of Norale", for which she co-wrote a screenplay is currently in the post-production stage.

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Aneliya’s new musical project is to be premiered in 2023.

photo by Polina Washington

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