This new work is specifically designed to be performed outdoors and will open this year’s sound festival!

All levels of singing experience are welcome.

The work is scored for soprano/alto/baritone voices.

Rehearsals
Commencing Thursday 10 September 2015, weekly rehearsals will be held every Thursday evening, 7-9pm, at the MacRobert Building, University of Aberdeen.

Performance
Date: Thursday 22 October
Venue: King’s College Quad, University of Aberdeen
Time: 6pm

Contact
If you’re interested in taking part or would like further information, please contact:
Anne Watson, Learning & Engagement Manager
E: anne@sound-scotland.co.uk
T: 01330 826526

SHOWCASE CALL: “In Cahoots”

New Music Scotland is hosting “In Cahoots”, a Conference on collaborations between new music and other art forms on the 23^rd and 24^th October 2015 in Aberdeen during the sound festival. Within the Conference there will be curated performances and showings of new collaborative work, and there will also be a limited number of slots available to feature new music and sound art created and performed by Scottish practitioners.

We invite artists to submit completed projects for consideration. We welcome submissions of performances, sound installations, new media projects etc. The submissions do not need to be cross-art form, although any cross-art form submissions will be particularly welcome. There are a limited number of slots, so we would welcome shorter submissions, of approximately 15-30 minutes. We would also prefer submissions to be as technically self-sufficient as possible.

Attendance is an essential requirement if selected.

Please provide, in compressed electronic format (e.g., .zip), all relevant information/materials for the realization of the project. Contact details must also be provided.

Please send by email to info@newmusicscotland.co.uk

Unfortunately we will be unable to pay fees for the showcase, but will cover travel and accommodation costs, and the showcase participants will be given free delegate passes for the Conference.

Deadline for submissions: 31^st July 2015

NEW MUSIC SCOTLAND

Bringing together performers, composers, promoters of new music in Scotland, to:

• create a context for dialogues between practitioners and new work;
• share ideas of best practice;
• promote the diversity of new music and sound art;
• create and maintain a supportive environment for innovation.

The Network Coordinator’s role is to support New Music Scotland in all aspects of the organisations’ day-to-day running and long-term management, including but not limited to: event organisation, project management, network coordination, marketing and PR, budgeting and fundraising.

The successful candidate will have a background in the arts sector, preferably in new music, with proven administrative, project-management and organisational skills. He/she will be a strong communicator, with experience in networking, and will be a self-motivated, flexible and creative individual, capable of working on their own initiative but in close coordination with the Board and other members.

The post is a freelance post, until the end of March 2016, based on approximately 1 ½ -2 days per week (dependent on the experience of the candidate) which may fluctuate when larger events need to be organised.

Rates of pay will be between £14 and £18.50 per hour depending on the candidate’s ability and experience.

Please note that as New Music Scotland does not have offices, the successful candidate will be expected to work from home.

Letters of application accompanied by a CV should be e-mailed to: fiona@newmusicscotland.co.uk

If any material needs to be posted, the address is:

Fiona Robertson

New Music Scotland

c/o Woodend Barn
Banchory

AB31 5QA

A full job description is available on www.newmusicscotland.co.uk/new-music-scotland-network-coordinator

Job specification available here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/fn7ftwq6bzspeoy/Network%20Coordinator_Job%20spec.doc?dl=0

The closing date for applications is 12pm on Monday 29^th June 2015 and interviews will take place (probably in Edinburgh) on the 1^st or 2^nd July. Please indicate your availability when you apply.

Please click the relevant classes to view the full job description for Explore and Imagine classes. Those interested in applying must submit their CV and supporting cover letter to

claire-gillian.watt@aberdeenperformingarts.com by Tuesday 16 June, 5pm.

Pauline Knowles and Alan McHugh reprise the central roles in The Garden

The Garden, a work commissioned by the sound Festival from Zinnie and John Harris for its critically-acclaimed “Out of the Box” opera weekend, has been selected for the prestigious Made in Scotland showcase it was confirmed 20 May 2015. Premiered in Aberdeen in 2012, The Garden was part a weekend of pieces commissioned by Scotland’s new music festival from leading Scottish composers and writers which were staged in unexpected and unusual venues.

A curated showcase of the best in Scottish performance, Made in Scotland is presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It offers national and international promoters to opportunity to see work and encourages artistic collaborations to be forged. The 2015 programme was announced by Fiona Hyslop, MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs. The Garden will be part of the Traverse Theatre’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme) from 18th-23rd and 25th- 30th August 2015.

‘We are delighted that The Garden has been selected for the 2015 Made in Scotland showcase,” says sound Festival director, Fiona Robertson. “It is an accolade the recognises both the calibre of new music being created in Scotland today and the important contribution to Scotland’s cultural landscape of sound, Scotland’s major dedicated new music festival.”

“Following its world premiere in Aberdeen The Garden has already been staged in London and mainland Europe, and we hope that the profile which the Made in Scotland showcase offers will open up further opportunities to present the work and collaborate internationally,” she adds.

“The sound Festival opened the world of opera to creators and audiences who feel inhibited by or excluded from its institutional conventions. And it gives those of us with more traditional ideas of music theatre a whiff of the creative zeitgeist.”
Financial Times, November 2012

The Garden is set in a dystopian future. A scientist spends all day working in a scientific institution which is tasked with solving the world’s environmental problems, whilst his wife sits in their high-rise flat stifling in the heat and wishing that they were somewhere, anywhere else. It is based on an original short play of the same name by Zinnie Harris, commissioned by the Traverse Theatre in 2009 as part of “The World is Too Much With Us” season and winning a Scotsman Fringe First Award.

“In both the play and libretto I wanted to explore what it might be like to live in a world that is similar to ours, but which has become overpopulated and under resourced, and where there is hardly any vegetation,” she explains.

“The Garden is a beautiful play and the challenge was to find a musical form that retained the sublety, lightness of touch and intimacy of the original,’ adds John Harris. “Our approach was to create a piece where song and speech are part of the same musical continuum; where one transforms seamlessly into another.”

“The couple were played with riveting dramatic intensity by
Alan McHugh and Pauline Knowles”
The Herald 2015

“A despairing urban couple played compellingly by
Alan McHugh and Pauline Knowles”
The Scotsman 2012

The Made In Scotland performances will see Pauline Knowles and Alan McHugh reprising the central roles.

The primary function of the website is to share information on the festival, its events, associated artists and composers, workshops, talks, projects, news and resources.

Without wishing to be too prescriptive at this stage, sound would like the site to be easy to navigate, attractive and accessible. We would like to encourage greater visitor interaction with the website, and repeat visits.

Tender submission information and deadlines
Please submit a tender proposal that includes the following:

• One A4 page that explains why you would like to be involved in the project and what your credentials are in delivering similar work.
• Examples of previous work and relevant experience, including websites, references and testaments.
• A detailed budget which should include costs for hosting, commissioning costs, any 3rd party costs, and ongoing support.
• A proposed schedule of work.*

Timescale
Deadline for submissions: Monday 11 May @ 5pm
Interview date: Monday 18 May @ Woodend Barn, Banchory AB31 5QA

*Please note, the new site needs to go live by end July for this year’s festival.

Budget
The project does not have a fixed budget but we wish to seek the best value possible. We would not expect the total costs of the site to exceed £8,000 unless strong justification could be given to the additional investment suggested.
All prices quoted shall be inclusive of all costs. Please indicate applicable VAT rates.

View the full brief here

Please submit proposals via e-mail to:
Susan Whyte, Marketing Manager
E: info@sound-scotland.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 1330 826526

We are delighted to have received a sufficient grant from Creative Scotland’s Open Fund to stage the 2015 Festival. We will now move ahead with our exciting plans for the 11th annual festival which will take place across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in October and November. Full programme information will be released in the coming months.

The long term future of sound, however, remains less certain following the decision not to award Scotland’s only dedicated showcase of new music 3-year funding. Our ability to plan long-term, which is key to continuing to present the high-quality programme that our audiences expect, remains of ongoing concern. However, we will continue to work with Creative Scotland to ensure that sound has a secure future and that audiences across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have access to contemporary music making of the highest order.

For press information contact: Lesley Booth, 0779 941 4474 / lesley@newcenturypr.com

* Administrator – 0.8FTE

* Director of Access, Engagement and Participation Programme (0.5FTE Freelance)

* Fundraiser (Freelance)

The closing date for all applications is 5pm on 9th March 2015.

For further information, please contact john@rednoteensemble.com (John Harris, Chief Executive), or visit http://www.rednoteensemble.com

This unique residential course, from 2-8 August 2015, helps students advance their composition skills through an inspiring and intensive week using the specialist facilities of the Purcell School of Music.

Full of collaboration, fun, learning and creativity, 75 young composers aged 14 – 18 will have the opportunity to work with professional composers and musicians from a wide variety of musical traditions, from classical and jazz to world and new media.

During the week, students will:
• Explore different styles and methods of composing and music-making
• Meet and work with leading composers and musicians
• Create their own piece of music
• Have their music performed and recorded
• Meet lots of other young composers

We are looking for students who can demonstrate their talent for composition, who are enthusiastic about creating their own original music and who are keen to learn more.

A means-tested grant scheme means that everyone offered a place will be able to attend, regardless of family circumstances.

Applications are now open
Deadline for applications: 12 noon Thursday 2nd April 2015

Contact education@soundandmusic.org for more information or to receive application forms in hard copy.

“I didn’t have to think about anything else but music for the whole week so I could really focus”
-Past student of Summer School

Discover more at soundandmusic.org