One of the most unique music festivals in the north-east has been awarded vital funding from a national arts organisation.
Sound Festival will receive £150,000 in a one-off sum, just two months after it missed out on long-term support from the same organisation.
The event, which has been running since 2004, celebrates “new music” and takes over a variety of venues across the city and further afield in October and November as well as staging other performances all year round.
Yesterday the latest round of funding was revealed, which will help secure the future of the festival for the next 12 months.
Fiona Robertson, director, said: “We are grateful for the ongoing support of Creative Scotland, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Councils, the PRS and PRS for Music Foundation, Help Musicians UK and Robertson Trust whose grants are enabling us to stage this year’s festival and, importantly, to deliver a year round-programme of activities to support our ongoing work with young composers and musicians.
“It is through this year-round grass roots work that we can build a sustainable future for new music in Scotland.”
Question marks were raised over the long-term future of the festival in February after Creative Scotland rejected its application for three-year funding.
This year’s event will feature a range of eclectic performances, including a focus on the viola, part of its “endangered instruments” programme.
The director added: “As well as presenting existing work we have been able to commission and co-commission pieces by a range of composers including Oscar Strasnoy, James Dillon, Diana Burrell and Sally Beamish, who will not only write a new work for viola, but will also perform in it.”
The cash was part of a wider round of grants across the country, with 44 organisations taking a share of £1.2million of Open Project Funding.
Claire Byers, is interim director of arts and engagement, at Creative Scotland.
She said: “While, as always, there are many more good applications than we have the funds to support, these latest awards to provide invaluable support to the successful applicants and demonstrate what is possible through Open Project Funding. We look forward to seeing their work develop as a result.”
Sound Festival runs from October 24 until November 3.
For more information on this year’s programme visit www.sound-scotland.co.uk
