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@soundfestival

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sound is a #newmusic incubator based in NE Scotland encouraging new music creation and discovery 🎧🎶
#soundfest26 22 - 31 October 👀📅

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Important date update: Raydale Dower: Single Drop

Please note that due to a misprint in our festival brochure, the correct dates for Single Drop are Friday 23 – Sunday 25 October 2026.

Taking place within the distinctive setting of Bon Accord Baths, Single Drop explores the building’s unique acoustics and architectural character through a looped recording of a single drop of water. As its pitch and tone gradually diminish, the installation offers a fascinating reflection on memory, sound and space.

The installation is free to visit and will be open from 12–6pm daily, Friday 23 – Sunday 25 October.

Presented in association with Peacock Visual Arts and Friends of Bon Accord Baths.

We apologise for any confusion caused by the brochure misprint and hope you’ll join us to experience this unique installation!

#Installation #BonAccordBaths #WhatsOnAberdeen #SoundArt #NewMusic by @soundfestival

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6 days ago

The soundfestival 2026 programme is LIVE!🎶

This October, soundfestival returns for 10 days of new and experimental music across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, with more than 30 concerts, recitals, workshops, installations and events taking place from 22–31 October.

This year, we’re bringing together artists from Scotland, the UK, Europe and further afield, with returning favourites including Red Note Ensemble, Any Enemy and Quatuor Bozzini, alongside artists joining us for the very first time.

Across the programme, you’ll find world premieres, new commissions and collaborations, with music and sound taking over spaces across the North East, from concert halls and museums to gardens, community spaces and even a former nuclear bunker.

Running throughout soundfestival 2026 is a simple but important idea: Listening. This year, we’re inviting audiences to open their ears, encounter something unfamiliar and explore the many different ways we listen to music, sound, each other and the world around us.👂

The full programme is now live, and we can’t wait to share it with you.

🎟️ Browse the full programme and book your tickets via the link in our bio.

See you in October!

#SoundFest26 #NewMusic #ContemporaryMusic #AberdeenEvents #WhatsOnAberdeen

Ali Smith (photo credit: Wouter Vellekoop)
New European Ensemble

Mimi Doulton (photo credit: James Berry)
Alistair MacDonald

Quatuor Bozzini (photo credit: Michael Slobodian)
The Edinburgh Quartet (photo credit: Sandy Butler)

Leona Jones ‘babblesnatch’
Raydale Dower ‘Single Drop’

Red Note Ensemble (photo credit: Julie Howden)
Any Enemy (photo credit: Anthony Childers) taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK by @soundfestival

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2 months ago

ONE MONTH TO GO 🔊

In one month, soundfestival 2026 takes over Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

10 days of new and experimental music, unexpected spaces, world premieres, installations, workshops and sounds you might not hear anywhere else.

Here’s a glimpse of Seasonal Quartet, bringing together writer Ali Smith and the New European Ensemble as part of this year’s programme at the Cowdray Hall.

📅 22–31 October 2026

Have you got your tickets yet?📖🎻

Explore the full programme and book now via the link in bio.

#1MonthCountdown #SoundFest26 #AberdeenEvents #AliSmith #NewMusic taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK by @soundfestival

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a month ago

Raydale Dower: Single Drop⁠
⁠
🗓Opening Event: 23 October 2026, 5 – 8pm⁠
📍 Bon Accord Baths, Justice Mill Lane, Aberdeen, AB11 6EQ⁠ ⁠
🗓 Opening dates: 23 - 25 October 2026⁠, 12:00 - 18:00⁠
🎫 Entry is free⁠
⁠
Aberdeen born artist Raydale Dower returns to his home city to present Single Drop, a large scale sound installation, in the historic, now disused, Grade B listed Art Deco Bon Accord Baths. Responding to the unique architectural acoustics of the Baths, Single Drop explores the perception of time, place and memory.⁠
⁠
The sound of a single drop of water amplifies and reverberates through the large Bon Accord swimming pool space resonating within the grand, now disused, architectural space, evoking shared memories of this once busy swimming pool. Now frozen in time, the textures and forms, voids and indeterminate spaces of the empty Bon Accord swimming pool recall the cinematic imagery of filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. Dower’s approach to distilling and then expanding a singular and finite sound source echoing Tarkovsky’s concept of ‘sculpting with time’.⁠
⁠
Presented as part of the Soundfestival 2026 programme, Single Drop is an artist led project delivered in partnership with Peacock, Offbeat, Build Hollywood Scotland, Friends of Bon Accord Baths and Soundfestival.⁠
⁠
More information available via the link in bio. taken in Save Bon Accord Baths by @soundfestival

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4 hours ago

Looking for something to do this week? 🌟

From live music and theatre to family-friendly activities, creative workshops, Halloween fun and more, there’s plenty happening across Aberdeen city centre from 19–25 October!

Swipe through to see what’s happening and save this post for your weekly plans! 👀

Got an event happening this week? Drop it in the comments below 👇

#AberdeenEvents #AberdeenInspired #WhatsOnAberdeen #AberdeenCity taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK by @soundfestival

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5 hours ago

Looking for ways to keep the little ones entertained during the final week of the October holidays? 🎃

From spooky crafts and theatre shows to live music, sound walks, markets, exhibitions and the Nuart Aberdeen Family Challenge, there’s plenty of family fun in the city centre! 👻

And don’t forget to stop by @mackies19.2 for a sweet treat! 🍦

Swipe through to discover what’s on and save this post for your family plans! 👉

Have we missed anything? Share your suggestions in the comments and let’s put together a guide for everyone!

#AberdeenInspired #AberdeenEvents #OctoberHolidays #HalloweenInAberdeen #FamilyFun taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK by @soundfestival

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2 days ago

LESS THAN A WEEK TO GO! 🔊

From 22–31 October, we’re bringing ten days of new music and listening experiences to Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

With over 30 events taking place across the region, this year’s festival invites you to explore what it really means to listen. Expect everything from live performances and immersive installations to soundwalks, workshops, exhibitions and opportunities to get involved.

Whether you’re a regular festival-goer or discovering new music for the first time, we’d love you to join us!

Swipe through to discover what’s happening during the first few days, and head to the link in our bio to explore the full programme and book your tickets!

We can’t wait to welcome you to soundfestival 2026!💙

#WhatsOnAberdeen #NewMusic #AberdeenEvents #LiveMusic #SoundFest26

Ensemble Haar 🚢

Aberdeen’s newest contemporary music ensemble, led by composers Lliam Paterson and Kristain Rasmussen, performs a selection of works by composers with strong links to Aberdeen and the North East, including John De Simone, Helen Grime, Pixie Nishina and Gemma McGregor.

Ensemble Haar aims to highlight and showcase the remarkable breadth of musical talent the region has to offer.

📅 Thursday 22 October, 12.45 to 1.30pm
Pre-concert talk at 12pm
📍Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen

FREE event

soundwalk: Caint nan Eun/ The Language of the Birds
Duncan MacLeod (sound artist)🐦‍⬛

Caint nan Eun/ The Language of the Birds is a geolocative soundwalk mapped to local nature reserves. Combining field recordings, Gaelic song, oral histories and music, it explores relationships between birds, language and place. The event includes a talk by RSPB Scotland Community Engagement Officer Shona MacLellan. For ages 8+.

📅 Thursday 22 October, 2-3.15pm
📍Mill of Benholm, Johnshaven

📅 Saturday 24 October, 1.30-2.45pm
📍Forvie Visitor Centre, Collieston

Where possible, participants should bring a charged smartphone and headphones.

Tickets are £5, link in bio🔗

With support from RSPB Scotland, PRS Foundation, The Open Fund for Creators, Hope Scott Trust and Glasgow School of Art.

Neil Smith: Try Try Try 🥁

Featuring Darren Gallacher, Joe White and Gloria Yehilevsky on percu by @soundfestival

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3 days ago

What a fantastic three days of music-making with our young composers! 🎶

Yesterday marked the final day of our Go Compose! 2026 programme, delivered in partnership with Red Note Ensemble.

Over three days, eight talented young people worked alongside composers Fergus Hall and Gillian Walker to create their very own original compositions for Red Note musicians Ruth Morley (flute), Sasha Savaloni (guitar) and Simon Johnson (trombone).

From exploring musical ideas and experimenting with different sounds to hearing their compositions brought to life by professional musicians, it’s been a wonderful opportunity for these young people to develop their creativity and discover more about writing music.

A huge well done to all eight participants for their hard work, imagination and enthusiasm throughout the programme, and a big thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!🌟

#GoCompose #YouthMusic #YoungComposers #NewMusic #Aberdeen by @soundfestival

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4 days ago

Behind the scenes with Darren Gallacher (percussion) and Alistair MacDonald (electronics) as they rehearse Alistair’s kurdy-murdy ahead of soundfestival 2026!

Inspired by a fascination with accents and language, kurdy-murdy takes its name from an old Scots word meaning a state of confusion or uproar.

Blending percussion and live electronics, the piece draws on old Scots vocabulary and Alistair’s own field recordings, exploring how the sounds and meanings of words can shape musical rhythms, textures and electronic transformations.

Come along and hear how it all comes together!

📅 Saturday 31 October, 4–5pm
📍 Cowdray Hall, Aberdeen

Find out more and book your tickets via the link in our bio.

#Electronics #Percussion #NewMusic #WhatsOnAberdeen #soundfest26 by @soundfestival

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5 days ago

I’m so excited to be presenting a concert at @soundfestival this year! @mis._.readxx , @emilyrae_mus , @flynn_mus , @aidanscoolinsta and I came together in August to record a collection of objects which we brought from home. All of us love discovering and working with new and unusual sounds, and often those sounds come from where you least expect them! Hiding in drawers, under sofas... we collected and shared these sounds to produce alternate and contrasting sound worlds.

We will be showcasing these works at the Anatomy Rooms in Aberdeen on the 31st October 2026 at 8pm, on a multichannel surround speaker system. What’s more, the wonderful @peterstollery7 is going to be hosting a Q&A with all of the composers where you can ask us questions about the pieces and get to know more about the composers. There are also lots of exciting shows earlier in the day from @red_note_ensemble , @electromacd & @dazz1829 , & Mini Doulton - so it’s definitely worth a trip!!

Tickets are only a fiver, and there’s also a pay what you can option. Link in bio!

#electronicmusıc #ambient #livemusic #aberdeen #experimentalmusic taken in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK by @soundfestival

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5 days ago

Where will soundfestival take you this October? 👀

From a former Cold War bunker and an Art Deco swimming pool to a historic watermill and the sweeping sand dunes of Forvie National Nature Reserve, this year’s festival takes new music to some extraordinary places across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Each location brings its own history, character and acoustics, offering a different way to experience music and sound.

With over 30 events taking place from 22–31 October, there’s plenty to discover, whether you’re a regular festivalgoer or joining us for the first time.

Explore the full programme and book your tickets via the link in our bio!

#Venues #WhatsOnAberdeen #ExperimentalMusic #NewMusic #VisitAberdeen by @soundfestival

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6 days ago

What does it mean to listen to the sea? 🌊

Join us for apeiron, an award-winning experimental radio artwork by Leona Jones exploring our relationship with the sea, sound and constant change.

The work began in Stromness, Orkney, drawing on recordings of the ever-changing sea, the rhythms of the tides and local voices reading aloud the town’s tide times.

Presented in collaboration with Station House Media Unit (SHMU), this unique event brings together a live radio broadcast, communal listening and an interview with the composer, inviting us to experience sound both individually and together.

📅 Friday 23 October, 1–2pm
📍 Station House Media Unit, Aberdeen

Find out more and book your tickets via the link in our bio!

#WhatsOnAberdeen #ExperimentalMusic #Radio #NewMusic #AberdeenEvents taken in Station House Media Unit by @soundfestival

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7 days ago