The Sound and Music Podcast

Composers Blythe Pepino, Rocky Dawuni and Emily Hall share their music and thoughts exploring activism in the climate crisis. What is the place of music in climate activism, and how do composers take action in their music?  

From protest songs to upbeat afroroots music inspiring hope and action, we listen to the origins of Extinction Rebellion’s “Emergency” anthem, what is the vision of a future Zion, and how music can help make sense of climate anxiety. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and composer Anthony R. Green for a unique insight into composing – and if you like this episode, check out Ep.4: Portals which features Anthony R. Green and his fantastic music. 

Our recommendation at the end is an invitation to join Music Declares Emergency and Earth Percent, and inspire your colleagues, employers, and collaborators to take one further step in this journey of addressing the largest challenge our species have ever faced. 
In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 

Blythe Pepino 
Emergency (2018), written for Extinction Rebellion  
Crisis for Women (2020), written for a protest organised by Extinction Rebellion on International Women’s Day 2020 
Now Is The Time (unreleased), by Mesadorm, inspired by Naomi Klein’s book On Fire 


Rocky Dawuni 
Modern Man and Beats of Zion (2019), from the album Beats of Zion by Rocky Dawuni 

Emily Hall 
Feed (unreleased), written/produced by Emily Hall, sung by Jodie Landau 


So Far (2019), performed by Lady Maisery on their album Cycle. Originally part of Rest, a secular requiem by Emily Hall

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (Resonance FM) and mixed by Chris Bartholomew, with the theme tune composed by Rob Bentall.  

Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Composers Hanna Tuulikki, Colin Riley and Dai Fujikura share their music and thoughts exploring the importance of place in music. How does the more-than-human manifest itself in the composers’ music, and what does it mean to be composing music in times of the climate crisis?
 
From imitating birds to Japanese onomatopoeia, we listen to a song written for a stream in the Cairngorms, music that imitates the freedom and order of birds flying, and how can one make sense of climate grief through sound and movement. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and festival director Fiona Robertson (Sound Scotland) for a unique insight into composing. 
 
Our recommendation at the end is for In Place, a collection of songs by Colin Riley which you can explore fully at InPlaceProject.co.uk 
 
In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 
 

Hanna Tuulikki 
cloud-cuckoo-island (2016), a solo camera performance by Hanna Tuulikki 
Metsänpeiton Alla (Under Forest Cover) (2021), an installation presented at the Helsinki Biennial 2021 exploring climate grief 
Deer Dancer (2019), part of an installation presented at Edinburgh Art Festival 2019, the audio is now available on Bandcamp 

 Colin Riley 


Litanies for the Furness Fells (2018), featuring words by Richard Skelton and Autumn Richardson; part of In Place, released by Squeaky Kate Music  
Water over Stone (2018), featuring words by Nan Shepherd; part of In Place released by Squeaky Kate Music  
Earth Voices: I. Luften (2021), commissioned by and premiered by Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra at Helsingborg Konserthus, Sweden conducted by Alfonso Scarano 

Dai Fujikura 

Secret Forest (2008), performed by Okeanos Ensemble and released on NMC recordings 
Gliding Wings (2019), performed by Ensemble Nomad with Makoto Yoshida, Hideo Kikuchi (clarinets) and conducted by Norio Sato; released on Minabel records 


This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (Resonance FM) and mixed by Chris Bartholomew, with the theme tune composed by Rob Bentall.  

Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Composers Daniel Kidane, Clarice Assad, Lei Liang and Evelien van den Broek share their music and thoughts exploring the climate emergency in music. What does it mean to be a composer in times of a climate crisis? How does our awareness of the crisis enter our work, and how do we find meaning in our work in these times? 

From exploring cultural belonging and understanding our place on this planet through myth to the imperative of artists to be good storytellers, we listen to field recordings of extinct species and vanishing rainforests and music that reflects and inspires. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and composer Des Oliver for a unique insight into composing. 

This episode features a reading of John Agard’s poem Inheritance (© John Agard 2015 and reproduced by kind permission of John Agard c/o Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency Ltd)
Our recommendation at the end is for Music Declares Emergency (https://musicdeclares.net/)  
In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 

Daniel Kidane 
Ruin (2020), the second movement from Song of the Prophets, a commission and collaboration between Christian Aid UK and Chineke! Orchestra 
Clarice Assad 


Lemuria (2018), commissioned and performed by Left Coast Chamber Ensemble as part of The Sound of Nature (2018-19 season) 

Lei Liang 


Lake (1999/2013), performed by The Awea Duo and available on Bridge Records  
A Thousand Mountains, A Million Streams (2018), performed by Boston Modern Orchestra Project and available on BMOP/sound. Published by Schott Music, and winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition in 2020 

Evelien van den Broek 

Endlings (2020), the album version of Biophonica, a stage work exploring biodiversity loss with Mark Nieuwenhuis, available on Bandcamp 


Ecognosis (2021), created for an installation by BetweenTwoHands 

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (Resonance FM) and mixed by Chris Bartholomew, with the theme tune composed by Rob Bentall.  

Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Composers Reeta Loi, Michael Wolters and Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser share their music and thoughts exploring queerness in music. What does it mean to be a queer composer today, and is there such a thing as queer music?  

From the playful to the divine, we listen to a drag character lost in space, gender-bending tracks, and work that plays with failure as a creative starting point. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and composer/researcher Ruari Paterson-Achenbach for a unique insight into composing. 

Our recommendation at the end is for the creative collective the mermaid café (Joanna Ward and Ruari Paterson-Achenbach) 

In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 

Reeta Loi 
Unki Yaad (2018), from Ek EP 
Founder (unreleased) by Reeta Loi 
Taken (unreleased), by Reeta Loi and James Perera – to be released in Autumn 2021
Michael Wolters 


‘Aria Cuntata and the Black Holes (2020), conceived by Michael Wolters and performed by Michael Wolters and Paul Norman 
Queer Concerto for Nine Saxophones (2020), performed by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra and Saxophone Department, conducted by Barry Wordsworth 


Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser 
Bibliography and smash bros (2020), by flxnflx, a lockdown collaboration between Maya-Leigh and James McIlwrath 
Attack (2018), by Equinox, which is Maya-Leigh Rosenwasser, Taner Kemirtlek and George Kypridemos 

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (Resonance FM) and mixed by Chris Bartholomew, with the theme tune composed by Rob Bentall.  

Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

Composers Neil Luck, India Jordan and David Austin Grey share their music and thoughts on the place of distractions in the process of creating music – are distractions bad or are they necessary? We listen to the sounds of a dream, hear the power of music to heal, and dive into what it means to create music during lockdown. Join our CEO Susanna Eastburn MBE and writer Will Eaves for a unique insight into composing. 

Our recommendation at the end is the album Watch Out! by India Jordan. 

In this episode, you listened to the following music and sounds: 

 

Neil Luck 
Phantasy (2020), by Chihiro Ono and Neil Luck 
Severed Heads (2021) from the album Downturn Fantasies released by Entr’acte. 

 India Jordan 

Dear Nan King and Emotional Melodical (2020) from the album For You released by Local Action Records 
And Groove and Feierabend (2021) from the album Watch Out! released by Ninjatune in May 2021 


 David Austin Grey 

Over Seas and Out of Reach (2020), a commission by Stoney Lane Records, performed by David Austin Grey (piano, electronics), Mike Fletcher (clarinet, flute) and David Duffy (double bass, electric bass)  
A Dark Place to Nest (2019), a work developed at Snape Maltings 


 
Our heartfelt thanks to the record labels, performers, composers and organisations who allowed us to include excerpts of these recordings on the podcast.

This podcast was produced by Michael Umney (Resonance FM) and mixed by Chris Bartholomew, with our theme tune composed by Rob Bentall.