Bjork has confirmed an initial set of dates for a world tour of theaters and opera houses in support of her latest album Vespertine, which will be released August 28th. The specific venues were chosen after her request that the sites have "the best acoustics possible." A September 23rd date at the English National Opera will make Bjork the first pop music act ever to perform at the venue. The U.S. leg will kick off with a two-night stand at New York City's Radio City Music Hall on October 4th and 5th.

Accompanying Bjork on her first tour in three years will be the electronic duo Matmos, composed of Martin Schmidt and Ander Daniel; Zeena Parkins, playing an electric harp she invented herself; and the Il Novecento Orchestra, conducted by Simon Lee. Providing backing vocals will be a throat singer from Northern Canada and a choir of Inuit girls recruited by Bjork on a recent holiday to Greenland.

Bjork is also planning to perform a series of smaller shows with a maximum capacity of about 300, making it possible to sing sans a microphone. These dates will be announced on the day of the show itself.

Vespertine's first single, "Hidden Place," will be released August 6th.

Bjork tour dates:

10/4-5: New York, Radio City Music Hall
10/7: Toronto, Hummingbird
10/12: Boston, Wang
10/14: Chicago, Lyric Opera House
10/17: San Francisco, Paramount
10/22: Los Angeles, Dorothy Chandler Theatre

JEAN GISMERVIK
(August 6, 2001)