On 22nd May 2019 Scare the Horses invited us to create compositions to frame a screening of Fabrizio Terranova’s Storytelling for Earthly Survival, a biographical film about celebrated eco-feminist Donna Haraway in Broadwalk House in the centre of Exeter. After the performance, Paula Crutchlow, the curator and host of Scare the Horses, interviewed us about our contribution to the screening, alongside bee keeper Jason Wallis and Operations Manager Andy Littlejohns who run the city centre apiary project nearby in Princesshay.

The prelude we made was Composed by Bees for paper cup-and-string telephones with bees and entangled audience, with a listening score for audience as the postlude. You can listen to our interview with Paula, below.

A Quiet Night In invite people to join them at 10:30am on Friday 29 March 2019 in the workshop at Exeter Phoenix to perform Antoine Beuger’s 2018 piece ‘now is the moment to learn hope’. We perform this consciously at a time of huge change and upheaval in our world. In the words of John Holloway, whose talk in 2016 inspired the work …

“Now is the time to learn hope …
not just to hope that everything will be alright.
But to learn hope …
hope as a way of thinking that opens paths to a different world.”

To take part, bring an instrument, or sound making device, and join us at 10:30 am for an 11 am start. The score is attached, please read it carefully. It is an open-ended piece in terms of duration, but we imagine we will be finished by 1 pm.

Any questions, contact Emma or Tony.

Performers Sarah Owen, Emma Welton, Tony Whitehead

Samuel Vriezen Motet for three speakers

John Lely Desk Bells

Pauline Oliveros Old Sound New Sound Borrowed Sound Blue

Tony Whitehead and Emma Welton performed all the things we make you do (2016) by James Saunders

Part of ‘Music is Murder’ at Exeter Phoenix.

all the things we make you do comprises a set of instructions in different categories which are spoken by audience members during the performance and which govern the actions made by the players. It is part of the group of connected pieces things to do, and may be performed simultaneously with other pieces in the group.

St Martin’s Church, 24th May 2018. Part of Art Week Exeter

an evening of quiet, contemporary music for solo, duo and quintet

Louis d’Heudieres Laughter Studies 2

Tim Parkinson Violin piece

Jeph Jerman For Tony Whitehead 

Charlie Sdraulig Few 

performers Dan Cray, Roz Harding, Ruth Molins, Emma Welton, Tony Whitehead

Musicians Billie Harbottle, Roz Harding, Ruth Molins, Emma Welton and Tony Whitehead performed the exhibition ‘Looking Down From The Sky’ by Young In Hong as a musical score.

Exeter Phoenix Gallery 21.4.2018

An evening of quiet, contemporary music inspired by textiles.

Felicity Ford Knitsonik

Hugh Nankivell Between the Lines, based on work by artist Heidrun Schimmel

Paul Ramsay

performers

Billie Harbottle, Roz Harding, Ruth Molins, Emma Welton, Tony Whitehead

Friday 2nd February 2018, 7.30pm

‘the stones of the wall will cry out/ and the beams of the wood work will echo it’

Our first Quiet Night In for 2018 will take place among the stones, wooden beams, painted angels and witches’ marks of St Nicholas Priory, The Mint, (off Fore Street), Exeter EX4 3BL

Pay What You Decide (cash on the door).

PERFORMERS

Billie Harbottle, Tony Whitehead, Emma Welton, Sarah Owen, Ruth Molins, Alice Kemp, Dan Cray, Roz Harding.

On Saturday 14th October Bristol Expanded Experimental Film (BEEF) invited us to their home at The Brunswick Club, Bristol, for an afternoon playing the scores of Pauline Oliveros and an evening concert of quiet music.

FROM UNKNOWN SILENCES

Fifteen of us played five text scores by Pauline Oliveros, the musical visionary and pioneer of deep, active listening (1932 – 2016). The scores prompted us to create music without learning or reading notes, in a free way of music making that is reliant on ways of listening and responding. For much more about Pauline Oliveros and her musical world see her official website http://www.paulineoliveros.us

The five scores we played:

From unknown silences

One sound once

Rock piece

Scanning-hearing

Sound piece

A QUIET NIGHT IN

John Lely Desk Bells desk bells (performed by Billie Harbottle)

Frank Denyer A Woman Singing solo voice (sung by Sarah Owen)

Antoine Beuger keine fernen mehr  (soft whistling by Emma Welton

John Cage Litany for the whale  (sung by Sarah Owen and Emma Welton)

Jürg Frey Un champ de tendresse parsemé d’adieux (leaves, small stones and soft whistling by Nick Janaway, Billie Harbottle, Daniel Cray, Sarah Owen and Emma Welton)

Emma Welton & the Ensemble THE END (reading, brooms and brushes)

EXPOSURE EXETER

The Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS

BBC Radio 3 presents Exposure Exeter, hosted by Verity Sharp. A concert showcasing new and experimental music in various genres, performed by artists based in the locality.

There will be sets by:

Drift Chamber – a quartet led by composer/performer Joe Duddell

Solarference – live sampling and trad folk from Nick Janaway and Sarah Owen

A Quiet Night In – an ensemble led by composer/violinist Emma Welton and sound artist Tony Whitehead playing James Saunders’ Instruments with Recordings, Simon Belshaw’s Music Machine 34 and Emma Welton’s Damage Limitation. Tony Whitehead will be playing melodica and natural objects, and Emma Welton viola, and we’re joined for this Quiet Night In by Ruth Molins (flute), Roz Harding (alto sax), Annabel Rooney (cello), Billy Bottle (electric guitar), Dave Sanderson (piano),Simon Belshaw (midi sax & Raspberry Pi), Joe Duddell (glockenspiel) and Sally Jenkins (harp)

This concert will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Tickets are free and must be booked via Exeter Phoenix.