sound festival 2020

22 – 25 October 2020

www.sound-scotland.co.uk

Welcome Welcome to soundfestival 2020. This year we have made the decision to split the festival and put on two four-day events – one at the end of October 2020 and another in January 2021. Due to the current government restrictions around audience attendance at live performances, the October minifestival will be delivered entirely online, but we are hopeful that the situation will change to allow us to mount some much needed live new music performances in January.

Our partners this year are Aberdeen Arts Centre, who have opened their doors so that we can present our performances from their stage; Citymoves who have given us use of a space for streaming our non-live performances; and our friends at shmu, who will be masterminding the streaming of all our performances. We are incredibly grateful to them for all the effort they have made to help us make this happen.

As well as live streamed events, there will be other activity online including films, exhibitions and recordings of performances for you to enjoy. We hope you enjoy October’s online offering and look forward to seeing you in January – hopefully!

Pete Stollery, Chair Fiona Robertson, Director

How to enjoy events online Please go to www.sound-scotland.co.uk and select the event you are interested in from the What’s On section to find more detailed information on how to view events. Please email admin@sound-scotland.co.uk if you need any further assistance.

WEDNESDAY 21 OCTOBER Online festival launch Time 6.30pm A warm welcome to soundfestival 2020! Join us online for the launch of this year’s festival.

THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER Ruth Morley, flute and Alistair MacDonald, live electronics PERFORMANCE

Q&A

World Premiere

Time 12-1pm New works for flute and electronics

by Rylan Gleave, Rūta Vitkauskaitė, Georgina MacDonell Finlayson, Fiona Harrison and Amit Anand Vamanacharya.

In association with Red Note Ensemble

Grey Area Crash Ensemble FILM

Q&A

TALK

Time 4-5pm Blending street skateboarding with contemporary music. With an original score by Sam Perkin.

THURSDAY 22 OCTOBER Le Sirenuse Concept: Carrie Fertig; Performers: Stuart Brown, Carrie Fertig, Alistair MacDonald; Sound: Alistair MacDonald; Film: Rob Page FILM

Q&A

TALK

ma ge: Rob Page

I

Time 5.30-6.30pm A filmed performance piece featuring glass percussion and electroacoustic sounds followed by a discussion with the artists.

Th’first munth is th’wurst iv awl Tayo Aluko, narrator; Sasha Savaloni, guitar; Jessica Beeston, viola; and Richard Craig, flute PERFORMANCE

Q&A

World Premiere

Time 8-9pm Ben Lunn’s new work explores isolation and loss drawing on letters from prison.

In association with Red Note Ensemble Commissioned by sound

FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER Roger Williams, organ PERFORMANCE

Q&A

TALK

Time 10.30-11.30am Music by John Hearne, Timothy Raymond, Pete Stollery, Phillip Cooke, John McLeod and Sarah Rimkus.

FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER Digital Horn Ben Goldscheider, horn and Pete Stollery, electronics PERFORMANCE

Q&A

Time 12-1pm I

ma ge: Kaup o Kikkas

Music by Bethan Morgan-Williams, Adrian Moore, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Hildegard Westerkamp.

Lonesingness EXAUDI PERFORMANCE

Q&A

Time 4-5pm Singers Lucy Goddard and David de Winter of EXAUDI join ensemble director James Weeks (piano) in refinding connections and bridging distances in a time of isolation.

I

ma ge : Ma tthew Andrews

Covid-19 sound map Q&A

TALK

Time 5.30-6.15pm Pete Stollery takes you on a guided tour of his worldwide COVID-19 sound map which captures changes in soundscapes due to government restrictions.

FRIDAY 23 OCTOBER Ben Goldscheider, horn and Huw Watkins, piano PERFORMANCE

Q&A

Time 8-9pm Music by Jรถrg Widmann, Volker David Kirchener, Huw Watkins, Roxanna Panufnik and Richard Bissill.

SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER Any Enemy PERFORMANCE

Q&A

World Premiere

Time 12-1pm

I

ma ge: Colin Black

New works by Pete Stollery, John De Simone and works written in lockdown

by Rylan Gleave, Lisa Robertson, Rufus Elliot and Aidan Teplitzky.

The Big Picture FILM

Q&A

TALK

Time 2-3pm Composer Judith Weir discusses her commission for the re-opening of Aberdeen Art Gallery in 2019.

In association with Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

Im ag e: G raem e MacDonald

SATURDAY 24 OCTOBER Guild of Horn Players featuring Ben Goldscheider and Pip Eastop PERFORMANCE

Q&A

Time 4-5pm Childs Play and Three Worlds by Tim Jackson, Pandemic by Thomas Hewitt Jones, and Tippett Sonata for four horns.

Ten Wee Drams for solo bass & contrabass clarinet PERFORMANCE

Q&A

Time 8-9pm Short works inspired by the Isle of Raasay by composers including Piers Hellawell, Oliver Searle, Jane Stanley and Sarah Watts.

I

ma ge: Davi d Carslaw

SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER Gaia Ruth Morley, flute and Laura Bowler, soprano PERFORMANCE

Q&A

World Premiere

Time 12-1pm New works celebrating our natural world by Laura Bowler, Deirdre McKay and Carmel Smickersgill.

Co-commissioned by sound, New Music Dublin, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Royal Northern College of Music and Kings Place. Supported by PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders programme

Film Installation & Exhibition 22 – 25 OCTOBER Le Sirenuse Concept: Carrie Fertig; Performers: Stuart Brown, Carrie Fertig, Alistair MacDonald; Sound: Alistair MacDonald; Film: Rob Page FILM

Time 10am-4pm Duration 33 mins Venue Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen Art Gallery

Go to www.aagm.co.uk for more info.

In association with Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums

French Horn Digital Exhibition An educational and interactive online exhibition exploring this year’s endangered instrument, the French Horn.

This exhibition will be available to view at sound-scotland.co.uk/french-horn-exhibition

ma ge : Ro b Pa ge

I

Screening of a filmed performance piece featuring glass percussion and electroacoustic sounds which will be screened regularly throughout the day.

soundfestival 28 – 31 January 2021 We are very much looking forward to sharing a second weekend of new music events with you at the end of January! Events will be available to enjoy online and we will announce closer to the time if we are able to present events to an indoor audience as well.

Look out for: Ensemble Court Circuit performing Ligeti’s Horn Trio, Grisey’s Accords Perdus and a new work by Tansy Davies; saxophonist Richard Ingham and Pete Stollery, electronics; a new electronic opera

by Amble Skuse sharing disabled people’s experiences under austerity in the UK, performed by an exceptional cross-genre, alldisabled ensemble; David Fennessy’s Aberdeen; Red Note Ensemble performing new works by sound’s composer-inresidence Ailie Robertson, Úna Monaghan and Philip Cashian; Xenia Pestova Bennett performing Karlheinz Essl’s Gold.Berg.Werk; and a digital partnership event with Brandon University New Music Ensemble and Festival, Canada.

Acknowledgements Many thanks to our funders for their support:

Hugh Fraser Foundation

David and June Gordon Memorial Trust

EIS Education Committee

Thanks to our soundbytes investors who have supported new works featured in this programme.

Media partners:

sound is part of the following initiatives:

Brochure design: everyonelovescake.co.uk

Our 2020 festival partners are:

Support us If you are able to, please consider supporting soundfestival during this challenging time. Funds raised will help to ensure we remain financially resilient and can continue to support composers and musicians and share their work with you.

soundbytes Our soundbytes initiative gives you the opportunity to support new commissions from established and emerging composers.

This is a flexible, ongoing scheme where you can choose which available commission you would like to support. soundbytes investors have supported new works by Graham Fitkin, John De Simone, Snorri SigfĂşs Birgisson, Lu McClintock, Sonia Allori, Sally Beamish, Benedict Mason, and our annual composition course for young composers.

To find out more about soundbytes and how to become an investor please visit www.sound-scotland.co.uk/soundbytes or email admin@sound-scotland.co.uk

Donate You can make a donation of any size via our website: www.sound-scotland.co.uk/support

Events published reflect our programme as of September 2020.

The programme may be subject to change.

Please visit our website to find out how to enjoy events online and for any programme updates.

www.sound-scotland.co.uk soundscotland @soundscotland

@soundfestival #soundfest20

sound, c/o the Barn, Burn O’Bennie, Banchory AB31 5QA Patrons: Dame Evelyn Glennie DBE; Sir James MacMillan CBE; and Rohan de Saram.

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