Celebrating 20 years of New Music!
The 2024 festival marked a truly special milestone for sound – our 20th anniversary! Since the beginning, we’ve commissioned 225 new works, and today, sound has grown into an organisation that not only brings a wide array of new music to audiences in North East Scotland but also provides year-round support for composers and young musicians.
Over the years, there have been challenges – promoting and supporting ‘niche’ music hasn’t always been easy, especially in an ever-precarious arts funding environment. And, of course, there was the pandemic, which posed its own set of difficulties. Yet through it all, our passion for sharing new music has remained undimmed. We are proud of the partnerships, projects, and pioneering works that have defined our journey. This year’s festival was no exception – a vibrant celebration of two decades of musical innovation and collaboration.
Returning Artists and New Collaborations
We were delighted to welcome back some familiar faces to help mark this milestone festival. Graham Fitkin, who first performed at Upbeat! – our four-day “taster” event back in November 2004 – returned with not one but two exciting contributions. In honour of our 20th anniversary, Fitkin was commissioned to create a brand-new work for a unique ensemble comprising Aberdeen’s new music group Any Enemy, young musicians from Get Creative, and the Con Anima chamber choir. The result was an inspiring performance that showcased the depth of talent from across our region.
Two days later, Fitkin joined forces with harpist Ruth Wall to perform Harpland, an evocative exploration of migration, loss, and longing, which captivated audiences.
We were also thrilled to welcome back Dame Evelyn Glennie CH, sound’s Patron and one of the world’s most renowned percussionists. Glennie has a long history with sound, having performed the first-ever commission by Sally Beamish at our inaugural festival in 2005. This year, she performed alongside the New London Chamber Ensemble, presenting a programme of works for percussion and wind quintet. Reflecting on the festival’s significance, Dame Evelyn Glennie shared:
“It has been a great pleasure to be a Patron of sound and I am delighted to be performing in the 20th anniversary festival. Throughout my career I have been privileged to have had works commissioned for me and to have performed premieres of new pieces, so I understand how important organisations like sound are in supporting both composers and performers, and making sure there is a vital platform for new work.”
Another standout returnee was percussionist Joby Burgess, a familiar name to sound audiences, having performed at five previous festivals. Burgess delivered both a family concert and a solo performance, featuring works by composers such as Graham Fitkin, Dobrinka Tabakova, John Metcalfe, and Gabriel Prokoviev.
International Collaborations and New Commissions
The 2024 festival continued sound’s commitment to international collaboration through the Northern Connection project, which began with a stunning Scottish performance during our 2023 festival. This ambitious partnership brought together composers, ensembles, and organisations from Scotland, Finland, and Norway, with each country contributing to a shared celebration of contemporary music.
The 2024 festival featured a joint concert by the three ensembles – Scotland’s Red Note Ensemble, Finland’s defunensemble, and Norway’s Ensemble Temporum – performing specially commissioned works by Tine Surel Lange (Norway), Lisa Robertson (Scotland), and Lauri Supponen (Finland).
Other highlights of the Northern Connection included:
defunensemble’s showcase of works by Finnish composers.
Ensemble Temporum’s performance of four pieces inspired by cities along their train journey from Oslo to Aberdeen.
Red Note’s collaboration with Laura Bowler in a dynamic new work for voice, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano.
A concert by Red Note highlighting five emerging composers, each presenting a new work for marimba and viola.
A Vibrant Celebration of 20 Years
The 2024 festival captured everything sound stands for – creativity, collaboration, and the celebration of new music. As we look back on the past two decades, we are reminded of the many ups and downs, but also of the joy and connection that music has brought to our community.
Thank you to everyone who joined us to mark this momentous occasion. Whether you’ve been with us since the beginning or this was your first soundfestival, your support means the world to us. Here’s to many more years of championing new music in North East Scotland and beyond!
