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Following on from the success of sound 2008, we are pleased to announce the dates for the next festival: 28th October - 22nd November 2009.
Sound festival is one of Scotland's true hidden gems… sound is all about music and acts as a umbrella for a range of concerts talks, workshops and performances. It is a festival for everyone and this inclusivity is sure to help it rocket in prominence in the coming years.
The Skinny
sound is an exciting festival of new music in North East Scotland, driven by the passion to make new music more accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. We try to avoid pigeon-holing, wanting people to experiment and discover for themselves the different types of music that are out there today, taking risks to find out what they enjoy (or don't!). We hope to create a live music experience that leaves its audience eager to explore sound in new ways. We introduce this wide range of music and sound (classical, contemporary, improvisation, traditional, popular, jazz, experimental, ambient, sound art, electro-acoustic…) through a variety of events including concerts, talks, installations, and workshops.
It is surprising where contemporary music will flourish as flourish it does in north-east Scotland's sound Festival.
Classical Music Magazine
sound is the North East of Scotland's festival of new music. Following a pilot event, "Upbeat" in 2004, the first festival was launched in November 2005, and sound is now an annual event.
Central belt trendies must be wondering why nothing of this like takes place in Glasgow or Edinburgh. Perhaps it is the very fact that it's held away from these bigger cities allows it to be just that bit more daring and imaginative in its programming.
Alan Morrison Sunday Herald
sound, an initiative of Woodend Arts Association in collaboration with the University of Aberdeen, operates largely as a network of local and some national organisations. The 2008 network also includes Aberdeen Art Gallery, Aberdeen Chamber Music Club, Aberdeen City Music School, Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Aberdeen Performing Arts, Angus Arts, Banchory Academy, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, danceLive!, Dizzy Storm, Deveron Arts, Duff House, Interesting Music Promotions, Inverurie Music, Jazz Aberdeen, Left Bank, Lunchbreaks at Cowdray Hall, Monymusk Arts Trust, Newton Dee Community, North East of Scotland Music School, Peacock Visual Arts, Scottish Ensemble, Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, South/Central Aberdeenshire Music Centre Youth Orchestra, Station House Media Unit, Strathdee Music Club, University of Aberdeen Music Prize and Woodend Music Society.
I would like to put on record that I am a fan of the Festival… sound has developed in an extraordinary fashion.
Michael Tumelty The Herald
If you'd like to be kept informed of what's happening by email and receive the festival leaflet please contact us on and give us your name, postal address and email address.
sound, Woodend Barn Arts Centre, Burn O'Bennie, Banchory, Scotland, AB31 5QA
