Beth Orton, Keith Tippett & Matthew Bourne and Aïsha Devi are on the line-up for the award-winning Leeds-based festival
Sounds Like THIS | 11 – 22 March 2019 | Leeds
Full line up and ticket info at www.soundslikethis.co.uk
Returning to Leeds on 11 March, Sounds Like THIS is like no other festival in the city. Presenting a unique mix of cutting-edge music and sound art, 14 events over two weeks will include exciting new projects from Beth Orton and Both Sides now and Keith Tippett and Matthew Bourne.
Created by Leeds College of Music (LCoM), the festival recently won a prestigious Drum Experience Award for ‘Best Small Festival’ for its commitment to new and exciting music that is under-represented in the mainstream.
Beth Orton
Award-winning artist and songwriter Beth Orton, and a group of female artists from across the region, will open the festival with a performance of brand new works created on a five-day residency at Leeds College of Music. This is part of Both Sides Now – a pioneering initiative from music charity Brighter Sound to support, inspire and champion women in music across the North of England. The residency will see the artists explore songwriting techniques through collaboration, culminating in a unique one-off performance.
The festival will also include a new and exciting partnership from two of Britain’s most adventurous jazz pianists, as Keith Tippett and Matthew Bourne play together for the first time - on two grand pianos.
A seminal figure in the evolution of UK jazz since the 1960s, Keith Tippett has forged his own ever-evolving sound as both composer and improviser. Matthew Bourne has similarly explored the horizons of jazz and contemporary music, on both analogue synths and the acoustic piano. Both are mesmerising live performers, famous for their idiosyncrasy, virtuosity and non-conformity.
The diverse line-up also features boundary-pushing artists from many walks of music, including a transcendent live AV show from remarkable vocalist Aïsha Devi, a unique performance combining spoken word with violin from violinist and composer Aisha Orazbayeva and an insightful talk about the psychology of music with experimental psychologist and engineer Susan Rogers of Berklee College of Music. Susan has worked with an impressive array of artists including Prince, David Byrne and Barenaked Ladies.
Nømad Ensemble present Women’s Words, Women’s Voices – a programme of contemporary classical music championing the work of female composers from around the world. The performance will feature an all-female ensemble, performing the works of Charlotte Bray, Hanna Beekhuis, Ailis Ni Riain, Shiva Feshareki, Liza Lim and Wendy Hiscocks.
The festival will also feature the latest talent from Leeds College of Music alongside seasoned professionals, in a showcase at Leeds’ Hifi Club, in the futuristic, intergalactic opera Earth Odyssey, and at LCoM’s annual Gala Concert at The Venue.
Sounds Like THIS is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Dr Paul Abbott, Festival Director said; “Sounds Like THIS has grown rapidly into a vibrant festival of current and future music. The line-up this year is exceptional, and draws in a broad spectrum of music makers who are each in their own way changing the face of music.
We are especially excited to present a series of performances which have grown out of collaboration in a wide variety of forms. We will be presenting artists who are still breaking new ground at the zenith of their career, alongside the next generation of artists who are embracing technology and innovation to shape the music of tomorrow.”
Full line up and tickets available at www.soundslikethis.co.uk
NOTES FOR EDITORS
Sounds Like THIS is an eclectic, diverse and boundary-pushing festival, created by Leeds College of Music. SLT presents cutting-edge music, sound art and visual installations by leading artists and emerging talent working across a broad range of disciplines. SLT is a PRSF Keychange Festival. www.soundslikethis.co.uk
