EAR TO THE GROUND, the podcast keeping you in the loop with the interviews and gig alerts from Scotland’s top-notch composers.
Hosted by Aileen and Ben, who'll be asking the questions, bringing the banter and getting to know these fantastic composers.
Final episode of 2023 ✅
An in depth conversation with Timothy Cooper on his recent album “…shadows that in darkness dwell…” with fascinating insights into the behind the scenes writing and recording process with Ensemble 1604. Catch it live at The Night With festival 🎉
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c8c7a8ed/timothy-cooper-shadows-that-in-darkness-dwell
Congratulations to everyone involved at Scottish Opera in last nights production of ‘Maud’ by Henry McPherson 👏
Link below to our REVIEW - and don’t forget, you can still hear Henry give a deep dive insight into the opera on the podcast 🎧
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
‘Maud’ tells the tale of a young girl, who whilst walking through the woods, stumbles upon a fairy hiding in the undergrowth, only to later discover, it’s a dragon! However, the innocent story takes a darker turn when the villagers band together, insisting the dragon must be slain, whilst Maud...
Look no further than Henry McPherson to give you some Sunday afternoon inspiration 💫 Here he is giving an insight into the synopsis of his upcoming opera 'Maud' with Scottish Opera 27th-30th July🌞
⚠️NEW EPISODE ⚠️
Our latest chit-chat with composer and improviser Henry McPherson is now live!
Ahead of his upcoming opera "Maud" performed by Scottish Opera Young Company, we chatted about everything from music to moss and even dragons! Listen below 👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b60484f0/henry-mcpherson-improvising-moss-and-his-new-opera-maud
New Music Scotland
It’s been a while but we are BACK with a new episode featuring Neil Tòmas Smith ahead of his debut album being released next month! Link below ⬇️
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c4f1db21/neil-tomas-smith-stop-motion-music
We had a great chat with Gemma McGregor, hearing how the history, landscape and folklore of Orkney have influenced her music. You’ll also hear a sneak peak of Nordic Viola’s Sagas and Seascapes show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe next week! 👀 🏴
New Music Scotland
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b882d938/gemma-mcgregor-music-and-tales-from-orkney
A lovely morning spent with our first podcast islander, Gemma McGregor all the way from Orkney 🏴 Episode out soon!
New Music Scotland
A real treat to see the premiere of Rubble by podcast guest Gareth Williams last weekend and what a show it was! Here's our wee review! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Gareth Williams Scottish Opera NewMusic Scotland
Having recently interviewed Gareth Williams about his new opera ‘Rubble’, we were delighted to see the premiere this weekend! From the moment we walked into the performance space we were transported to the 1980’s, thanks to the clever use of vintage board games dotted around the audience and p...
JULY EPISODE OUT NOW! 🌞
This episode features composer and songwriter Gareth Williams! We chat about his latest opera “Rubble” written for Scottish Opera which premieres at the end of July as well as his award winning opera “Rocking Horse Winner” and his upcoming tour with Chamber Music Scotland! Link below: ⬇️ 👇🏻
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c0231385/gareth-williams-seduced-into-singing
Just Fergus Hall taking his vocoder game and love of dolphins to the next level!☝️🐬 What a guy!
Catch the full episode following the link below:
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bd0ef493/fergus-hall-hydrophones-henderson-and-a-jellyfish-rave
NewMusic Scotland
Ever wondered what it sounds like when you vocode a soprano and a dolphin? 🐬 Well aren’t you in luck cause in this episode with the one and only Fergus Hall, we cover everything from composing with hydrophone recordings, poetry by Hamish Henderson and imaginary jellyfish rave music. Don’t miss it!
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bd0ef493/fergus-hall-hydrophones-henderson-and-a-jellyfish-rave
Looks like Fergus Hall found his was into the stash of accordions while round at the flat last week for his interview 😂🪗 episode out TOMORROW!
Stuart Macrae giving an insight into his piece ✨💫 Check out his episode now to hear more in-depth conversation about his latest album released on Delphian Records👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bbc44b19/stuart-macrae-ursa-minor
NewMusic Scotland
🌟April Episode Out NOW 🌟
What a treat it was to blether to Stuart MacRae about his new album Ursa Minor, released on Delphian Records 📀 This album has everything from Greek myths and constellations to lichen - what more could you want?? Check it out now 👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bbc44b19/stuart-macrae-ursa-minor
Well done The Night With and Red Note Ensemble 👏👏👏
An incredible concert on Thursday night featuring music from Lutoslawski, Caroline Shaw, George Crumb and former podcast guest Rufus Isobel Elliot. Here's our tuppenceworth so head over to our website to read all about it!👇👇👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/post/review-the-night-with-red-note-ensemble
Down in the dimly lit basement venue of Stereo on Renfield Lane, we were treated to an atmospheric evening of string quartet repertoire (punctuated by the occasional sound of running water from the buildings old pipes!). The evening started with a wonderful performance of the Lutoslawski string quar...
We had a great night at the premiere of Nicholas Olsen's recorder concerto 'Summer,' performed tonight by László Rózsa and The Glasgow Barons! We've written a little blog post about the concert so head over to the website to read all about it! 👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/post/review-nicholas-olsen-s-summer-performed-by-the-glasgow-barons
Tonight marked The Glasgow Barons first formal concert in 29 months which featured a world premiere of ‘Summer’ by Nicholas Olsen (our very first ever podcast guest!). ‘Summer’ is a concerto for tenor recorder (performed tonight by László Rózsa) which featured a brand spanking new instrum...
🌟February Episode Out NOW 🌟
We are THRILLED to share our interview with Lithuanian composer Ruta Vitkauskaite! Ruta is a truly fascinating musician and in this episode, she shares some of her latest musical discoveries that have influenced her work ranging from Konnakol in India 🇮🇳 to Canntaireach in Scotland 🏴 Listen now 👇👇👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/ba24f846/ruta-vitkauskaite-konnakol-canntaireach-and-collaborative-composing
Tomorrow morning, Ben will be chatting about the podcast at Macrobert Arts Centre Creative Breakfasts at 9am! Come along on Zoom for free following the link below!
https://macrobertartscentre.org/event/creative-breakfasts/
A monthly online breakfast meetup, by and for, our creative community.
Composers listen up!! 👂 Top tips from Janet Beat!!
NewMusic Scotland
February episode in the making with composer Ruta Vitkauskaite! 🌞
Our first episode of 2022 is with the one and only Janet Beat! At 83, her music has been officially released for the first time with her debut album “Pioneering K**b Twiddler”. Link below x
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b739d259/janet-beat-pioneering-knob-twiddler
Here’s just some of the amazing composers we’ve had on the podcast this year with many more exciting interviews to come in 2022! Happy New Year when it comes to all our lovely listeners out there! 🎉🎉🎉
‼️New Episode‼️
We caught up with Rufus Isabel Elliot who told us all about OVER / AT, a trans, non-binary and gender-diverse music-making world, as well as telling us about upcoming releases of Rufus’ own music 👇🏻
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c1a3244a/rufus-isabel-elliot-voices-feelings-and-unspoken-words
New Music Scotland
Here's a taster of some of the amazing music featured in our latest episode with Matthew Whiteside - Composer! There's some bangers in there for sure! 🤘Listen now!👇
New Music Scotland
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b5cb65cd/matthew-whiteside-on-doing-it-yourself
A little taster of our recent episode on "Doing it Yourself" with Matthew Whiteside - Composer! Link below👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b5cb65cd/matthew-whiteside-on-doing-it-yourself
New Music Scotland
Tea and chitchat tonight with composer Rufus Isabel Elliot - episode out next month!
‼️New Episode‼️
Matthew Whiteside is a composer, collaborator, concert producer and all-round fountain of knowledge when it comes to getting your music out there and heard! Follow the link below to listen:
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b5cb65cd/matthew-whiteside-on-doing-it-yourself
A snippet from our interview with Ailie Robertson - Composer Harpist, where she talks about her love of field recordings and finding the inspiration for her piece "Dun Sh*the" in a VERY squeeky gate in Glenshee! Link to full episode below 👇
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bf69043d/ailie-robertson-revealing-hidden-sound-worlds
‼️New episode‼️
Our next THREE episodes are going to be focussing on some of the amazing composers from The Scottish Awards for New Music! First up, Ailie Robertson - Composer Harpist!
Ailie talks about her amazing piece Skydance which won The Dorico Award for Solo Work this month 🥳 as well as 'Motherhood', written as part of her residency at Sound Festival and her recent piece 'Dun Sh*th' featuring double bass and a VERY squeaky gate.
We also got all the gossip about her up and coming opera premiere at Glyndebourne in 2022 - loads of exciting stuff! 👀
https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bf69043d/ailie-robertson-revealing-hidden-sound-worlds
Glasgow
G38SW
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Look no further than Henry McPherson to give you some Sunday afternoon inspiration 💫 Here he is giving an insight into the synopsis of his upcoming opera 'Maud' with Scottish Opera 27th-30th July🌞
Just Fergus Hall taking his vocoder game and love of dolphins to the next level!☝️🐬 What a guy! Catch the full episode following the link below: https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bd0ef493/fergus-hall-hydrophones-henderson-and-a-jellyfish-rave NewMusic Scotland
Stuart Macrae giving an insight into his piece #ursaminor ✨💫 Check out his episode now to hear more in-depth conversation about his latest album released on Delphian Records👇 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bbc44b19/stuart-macrae-ursa-minor NewMusic Scotland
Composers listen up!! 👂 Top tips from Janet Beat!! #feedthebrain NewMusic Scotland
Here's a taster of some of the amazing music featured in our latest episode with Matthew Whiteside - Composer! There's some bangers in there for sure! 🤘Listen now!👇 New Music Scotland https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b5cb65cd/matthew-whiteside-on-doing-it-yourself
A little taster of our recent episode on "Doing it Yourself" with Matthew Whiteside - Composer! Link below👇 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b5cb65cd/matthew-whiteside-on-doing-it-yourself New Music Scotland
A snippet from our interview with Ailie Robertson - Composer Harpist, where she talks about her love of field recordings and finding the inspiration for her piece "Dun Sh*the" in a VERY squeeky gate in Glenshee! Link to full episode below 👇 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bf69043d/ailie-robertson-revealing-hidden-sound-worlds
Did you know that if you stare at a pickled turtle long enough, you may just write an opera?! 🐢 Why not try it? 😉 Make sure to catch Alastair White's interview if you haven't already. He gives a fascinating insight into the process of writing an opera! 🎵 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bec1679a/alastair-white-fashion-opera
Isn't it great when flukes and clumsiness pays off?! Here's a snippet of Darlene Zarabozo talking about the recording process behind her piece 'The Inevitable Withdrawal' (which by the way has just been shortlisted for a Scottish Award for New Music no less!) Check out the rest of Darlene's episode following the link below! https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b3587918/darlene-zarabozo-exploring-connection-and-disconnection-through-electronic-music
Have a look at the absolutely stunning landscapes that composer Lisa Robertson calls home! In her episode, she chats about how her natural surroundings continually inspire her and how she hopes to highlight environmental concerns through her music! 🌎 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/bce91a95/lisa-robertson-telling-it-like-it-is-with-music-and-nature
A really fascinating insight into Art-Making in the Anthropocene from composer Emily Doolittle! This episode is filled with really interesting ideas on how we as artists can combat the impacts of the Anthropocene so do check it out! 🌎 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/b55d3843/art-making-in-the-anthropocene NewMusic Scotland
Here's a snippet of Martin Suckling sharing some of his top composing tips! Listen to his full episode on our website or on all major streaming platforms! New Music Scotland NMC Recordings https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c170d3f8/martin-suckling-exploring-this-departing-landscape
Here's Martin giving us an insight into the weird and wonderful instruments that can be heard in his flute concerto. Ben and I thoroughly enjoyed our first percussion lesson!! 🥁🥁 Link to the full episode below: 👇👇👇 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c170d3f8/martin-suckling-exploring-this-departing-landscape NewMusic Scotland
Here's a challenge for you! Listen to Jay Capperauld's "Five B's" and see if you can guess them all! (Ps. you can find all the answers in our latest episode) 😉 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1
A few words on Spectralism from @Ben Lunn - Composer and Conductor taken from our recent episode! Check out the full episode on any major podcast streaming site! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5g1OHlQitUJKhrVXI8g61b?si=n24zuL4MTCelz3xO_vFE0Q Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ben-lunn-from-brass-bands-to-spectralism-accessible/id1539299011?i=1000505870485 Our website: https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c10c222a/ben-lunn-from-brass-bands-to-spectralism-and-accessible-music-technology
Have you listened to our interview with composer Nicholas Olsen yet? In this episode, Nick talks about all things musical, from Boulez to washing machines! Follow the link below to listen to the full episode! 👇👇👇 https://www.eartothegroundscotland.com/podcast-1/episode/c17b9b76/nicholas-olsen-composing-from-home
***COMPOSER ANNOUNCEMENT*** Check out the composers featured this season!
***Brand New Podcast - EAR TO THE GROUND*** Coming soon, a brand new podcast interviewing Scotland's finest composers, hosted by Aileen Sweeney and Ben Eames. Like/share/subscribe to stay tuned for regular updates! 🎧
