It surprises a lot of people to find out that Scotland’s biggest festival of new music takes place in the north-east each year.
To a large extent, you would be forgiven for automatically thinking of the central belt rather than Aberdeenshire when you hear the phrase “boiling pot of new musical artists”. It’s not that we are backward-thinking in terms of the arts up here, it’s just a simple fact that young and exciting things tend to be equated with down south.
But for Fiona Robertson, director of the annual sound festival, it makes perfect sense that the north-east is the birthplace of the country’s largest celebration of the art form.
“I think it’s quite natural. I started the festival because there wasn’t much going on up here. So it started for a reason – to bring more new music up here. Edinburgh and Glasgow possibly don’t need a new music festival like this because there is a lot going on regularly.
“I think, quite often, when you are sort of out on a limb, as we are, there is more of a need to actively create something. So it’s not as unexpected as you think. As with all things, it’s all about where there is the energy and the people who want to make something happen.”
Now in its ninth year, sound has grown considerably since Fiona launched it in 2004, originally as an experiment. She has developed the format and the vision alongside colleagues and fellow new music enthusiasts at Woodend Barn, Banchory, where she is based, and the University of Aberdeen music department.
As the festival nears its 10-year anniversary, 2013 has become a natural time for Fiona and her colleagues to reflect on where they have come from and what the future looks like.
“When we first started, no one knew we existed, so it was all about getting word out. But now we have demands coming out of our ears, which means we can pick and choose our acts,” said Fiona.
Slightly unconventionally, sound doesn’t have an artistic director designing the programme of events each year. Although, as Fiona explained, “the new music world is small”, so she and her colleagues have their finger on the pulse when it comes to selecting and commissioning excellent emerging and established artists.
The main mechanism is, as it has always been, about cultivating a strong network in the music scene, encouraging local artists and also bringing in visitors to the region. This year is no different, with artists coming from across the UK and Europe to perform in the month-long festival which kicks off next Wednesday and runs until November 23.
The packed programme, which includes 58 events across 29 venues, and 11 premieres, launches on Wednesday with Framed Against the Sky, a performance which Fiona is particularly looking forward to.
The performance is the result of a six-month project led by composer Brian Irvine, poet Billy Letford and three musicians from Red Note Ensemble, who have toured Aberdeenshire carrying out a series of short performances in public places as well as workshops.
Wednesday’s launch event will feature the world premiere of a piece by Brian and Billy that has been inspired by the project, and will be performed by them both, alongside Red Note and schoolchildren from Logie Coldstone, Kincardine O’Neil, Strachan and Aboyne primary schools.
“This sort of event is always the most interesting for us, as it’s something we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in prior to the performance and it’s always a bit more exciting seeing something you’ve been engaged with come to fruition,” said Fiona.
In terms of its structure, the festival features two main strands: a focus on microtonality and a week of “sound and vision” projects. The first explores the microtonal form of music which is prevalent throughout the middle east as well as in classical music and jazz. This broad circumference of styles and cultures will be represented in a diverse cross-section of performances, from Syrian group Al Kindi and the Whirling Dervishes of Damascus, through to baroque tuning by Stephen Alcroft’s 19-div trumpet, to a world premiere performed by the Edinburgh String Quartet.
Meanwhile, the sound and vision events encompass Stephen Deazley and Martin Parker’s Man High – a piece which is inspired by, and features, footage from Joseph Kittinger’s record-breaking leap from the very edge of space to Earth in 1960. Also featuring prominently in the series will be Edison Studio’s newly created score for Alfred Hitchcock’s early film Blackmail, which will be performed and screened at the Belmont Cinema, Aberdeen.
It’s an extremely diverse and eclectic programme of new music, designed for both new music scene regulars and those approaching it for the first time.
As Fiona explained, it’s important for Scotland to have such a platform: “It’s all part of the creative process of things evolving. If you don’t give new artists a platform because you are just listening to Mozart, you’re never going to discover the Mozart of tomorrow. So it’s about giving those music creators the opportunity to show what they’re creating.
“And a lot of this is far more accessible than people might think. It’s really interesting and exciting, so it’s about audiences getting out, experiencing something different and stretching their horizons.”
The sound festival 2013 runs from October 23 to November 23, with events taking place across the region throughout. For further information and tickets visit www.sound-scotland.co.uk