The 2011 sound Festival (21 October-13 November) will open with a showcase for the newly created New Music Scotland network. The network, which brings together Scottish composers, ensembles, soloists, venues and festivals was created to give a platform to Scotland’s remarkable musical innovation. The showcase features no fewer than 17 live performances over 3 days (21- 23 October 2011) and a keynote lecture by one the UK’s most highly respected musicologists, Dr Jonathan Cross. Amongst the ensembles performers and composers to be featured are Red Note Ensemble with soprano Judith Howarth, Jonathan Morton and the Scottish Ensemble with pianist Alasdair Beatson, Scottish Flute Trio, Scottish Clarinet Quartet, NYOS Futures, The Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra and James Clapperton with music ranging from contemporary classical to electro-acoustic and jazz.

“Scotland has a rich a vibrant new music scene,” says Fiona Robertson, Programme Coordinator for the sound Festival and a founder member of New Music Scotland. “The idea for the network came out of a gathering of performers, composers and promoters last year and aims to both support the creation and performance of new music as well as raise the profile of this important part of Scotland’s cultural life. We are grateful to Creative Scotland for the support they have given us in the establishment of the network and enabling is to present this first showcase.”

Running over three weeks from 21 October – 13 November, the 2011 sound Festival offers more than 70 performances and events in around 30 venues across North East Scotland. The programme showcases the broad mix of new music for which sound has become recognised from instrumental to choral, jazz and electro-acoustic, and includes over 40 World, UK and Scottish premières. sound “regulars” including Red Note Ensemble, Scottish Flute Trio, Hoot , Ross Whyte, Pete Stollery and Bill Thompson, are joined in 2011 by an array of “newcomers” including the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra with Bobby Wellins, Curious Chamber Players, Stavanger Vocalensemble, EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble and Endymion, Auriga Wind Quintet of the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and more. This year’s sound Festival also includes the biennial University of Aberdeen Music Prize competition, and to celebrate the beginning of the 3-way partnership with Bergen and St Petersburg will feature Nordic composers with a Scandinavian thread running throughout the Festival. Other highlights include a collaboration with DanceLive!  Sea of Souls – A Salute to the Lifeboat Men of Fraserburgh , sound’s first micro event at Peacock Visual Arts and a screening of Murnau’s 1927 silent movie, Sunrise, with live music composed and performed by Graeme Stephen.

“Among the many exciting events programmed for this year’s Festival are a series of special weekends,” adds Robertson. “Following the opening New Music Scotland Showcase and Conference, the second weekend of the Festival will see the first performances in the Three Cities Project, a partnership between sound, the Music Factory in Bergen and Sounds Ways in St Petersburg. The next weekend features the biennial University of Aberdeen Music Prize, which brings young composers from across the globe to Scotland, and for our final weekend this year we focus on vocal music with a day of workshops for local choirs and performances by the acclaimed EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble with Endymion, the Stavanger Vocalensemble, juice vocal ensemble and more.

Tickets for all sound Festival events available from Aberdeen Box Office.

In person at the Music Hall or His Majesty’s Theatre: 9.30am – 6pm Mon- Sat or at The Lemon Tree 11.30am – 2.30pm Fri – Sun.

By telephone on 01224 641122, 9.30am – 6pm Mon – Sat and online at www.aberdeenboxoffice.com

For full details of the 2011 sound www.sound-scotland.co.uk

Source: Sound 2011