Sounding the North
A weekend of discussion and performance featuring artists and composers from Canada, Iceland, Scandinavia and Scotland. Presented by sound in association with the University of Aberdeen.
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
10‐11am: Introduction & Keynote, Bent Sørensen (Denmark)
Keynote speech from celebrated Danish composer and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Music.
11.15am‐12noon: An interview with Arild Andersen (Norway) An interview with leading bass player and composer.
2‐2.30pm: James Andean (De Montfort University, Leicester) & Andrew Bentley (University of the Arts, Helsinki, Finland)
In Search of the Nordic Electroacoustic.
2.30‐3pm: Dr Gemma McGregor (Composer, Scotland)
Music with a Sense of Place: The Influence of the Culture and Landscape of Orkney.
3‐3.30pm: Michael McHugh (Tyneside Sounds Society) The story of North East’s sonic and musical heritage.
4‐5.30pm: Katherine Wren (RSNO, Scotland)
Nordic Viola Project – sounds of the North Atlantic. A 6‐month project in the Faroe Islands, Iceland, the Northern Isles of Scotland, and Greenland seeking innovative ways to create, improvise and share music with local musicians.
SATURDAY 28 OCTOBER
10‐11am: The Day After with music journalist Kate Molleson
Reflections and discussion on the previous day’s talks and performances.
11.15am‐12noon: Geoff Palmer (Composer, Scotland) & Alasdair Nicolson (Composer & Artistic Director, St Magnus International Festival, Scotland)
Geoff and Alasdair discuss inspiration from the landscapes and culture of the north prior to their works being performed by the Edinburgh Quartet at 1pm.
2‐2.45pm: Gunnar Andreas Kristinsson (Composer, Iceland)
Extreme variety due to lack of history? Is there a unifying factor in Icelandic contemporary music? Is “inspired by nature”a trademark created by music publishers?
2.45‐3.30pm: Gunnar Karel Másson (Composer & Artistic Director, Dark Music Days Festival, Iceland)
Minimising gesture; the stark soundscape of contemporary art music in the Nordic countries.
4‐4.30pm: Cole Bendall (University of Edinburgh)
Sounding North ‐ A cosmopolitanism consideration of Veljo Tormis (Estonia).
4.30‐5pm: Tom Michie (University of Aberdeen)
The Stillness Speaks: Manifestations of Finnish Nature in the Shadow of Sibelius.
5‐5.30pm: Dr Rose Dodd (Composer/writer/reviewer, NW England)
Composing under northern skies, within living traditions. Northern European contemporary composition; is the blank sheet of paper different under a northern sky than in, for example, Berlin?
SUNDAY 29 OCTOBER
10am: The Day After (2) with music journalist Kate Molleson
Reflections and discussion on the previous day’s talks and performances.
11am: John De Simone (Royal Conservatoire of Scotland)
Conclusion: Is there a sound of the North?
