Press release: ‘Shockwaves as arts body pulls regular funding from Scotland’s acclaimed new music festival’
Shockwaves were felt widely today as the national arts body, Creative Scotland, pulled regular funding from sound, Scotland’s acclaimed new music Festival. Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, sound is recognised internationally as a leading festival of new music and locally for its vibrant programme of concerts and community projects across the north east. The festival, whose patrons include world famous percussionist Evelyn Glennie and leading composer James Macmillan is the main hub for new music in Scotland. This year it began a major collaboration with sister festival in France, Musiques Demesurées, and was last year shortlisted for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award. sound was also described recently by one of the world’s leading percussionists, Colin Currie, as hugely important internationally and vital to performers like himself for whom new commissions are central to their repertoire.
Over the years sound has commissioned more than 40 new works including the critically acclaimed Framed Against the Sky with Brian Irvine and poet Billy Letford which involved hundreds of people across the north east in its creation, and Three Fables with Stephen Montague and Zinnie Harris, one of the highlights of the 2014 Commonwealth Games arts programme and New Music Biennial. It has also premiered hundreds of pieces.
Whilst Creative Scotland commended sound on its excellence and experimentation, and the access that is offers for audiences, they told the festival organisers that they had decided not to include it in the body’s portfolio of Regular Funded organisations.
Festival director, Fiona Robertson said:
“We are obviously distraught that we have lost our regular Creative Scotland funding. It is particularly distressing finding out in the middle of a hugely successful festival which has seen performers from across the world coming to Aberdeen, and world premieres of pieces we have commissioned specially from composers living and working in Scotland and beyond.”
“Planning for the 2015 Festival was well advanced and we will now have take time to establish which of the many and exciting projects that we were developing it will be possible to go ahead with. ”
“We have been advised that the only money available to sound going forward is the open project funding which will impact significantly on our ability to commission new work and achieve our ambitions for new music in Scotland. However, we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that that Scotland has a vital platform for showcasing new music.”
Associate Ensemble of sound, Red Note, expressed its shock that the festival with which it has worked closely for five years. Director John Harris said:
“As Associate Ensemble, we have been recipients of incredible levels of support from sound ever since Red Note’s formation 5 years ago. We have collaborated closely with sound on many hugely successful projects, developing new audiences across rural Aberdeenshire and bringing new music to people who may never have experienced it before.
The success of this work is due to sound’s superb skill and creativity in making wonderful things happen, and their reputation as a beacon of new and original thinking is recognised across Scotland, the UK and beyond.
We are not alone in being dismayed that Creative Scotland have chosen not to support sound‘s growth and development through Regular Funding, and we hope that sound‘s achievement and potential will be recognised, supported and developed to its full, remarkable potential by Creative Scotland.
sound is a hugely innovative and important part of the Scotland contemporary cultural landscape, and we most definitely want to see it continue to grow and develop for many years to come.”
The 10th anniversary sound programme continues this coming Friday with a double bill of traditional music with a twist at Woodend Barn in Banchory. The concerts showcase Turkish Harp music and Scottish/Scandinavian fiddle music. In Aberdeen Ensemble Thing will give a free lunchtime concert on Saturday in the Art Gallery and on Saturday evening the celebrated Mr McFall’s Chamber perform at the Lemon Tree. Their programme, Remembered/Imagined, showcases the results of collaborations between Scottish traditional musicians and composers and writers. Performers will include Gaelic singer Maeve Mackinnon, author and actor Angus Peter Campbell and electronic artist and Creative Producer Amble Skuse. The new works are interwoven with beautiful traditional repertoire and poetry, creating a performance that captures the riches of Scotland’s cultural history through music and words with live instrumental, vocal and electronic sound. Meanwhile on Saturday and Sunday afternoons drumming workshops for young people with Kuljit Bhamra and family concerts with Red Note Ensemble Kuljit Bhamra and Fraser Fifield by will be on offer in Migvie Church and Salmon Bothy Portsoy, and over the weekend there will be late night soundsessions in Musa.
Full details of this weekend’s programme at www.sound-scotland.co.uk
Issued on behalf of sound by New Century PR
For further information contact: Lesley Booth
0779 941 4474 [email protected]
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