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.

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.

FROM UNKNOWN SILENCES

Friends Meeting House, Wynards Lane, Magdalen Street, Exeter EX2 4HU

Friday 14th July, 7.30pm

This Quiet Night In is a departure from our usual concert presentation: we invite you to perform with us.

We’ll be playing five text scores by Pauline Oliveros, the musical visionary and pioneer of deep, active listening (1932 – 2016). The scores prompt 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.

The five scores:

From unknown silences

One sound once

Rock piece

Scanning-hearing

Sound piece

Tickets are free, but please book via Eventbrite: aquietnightin.eventbrite.com

We’ll then send you the text scores so you can have a think about them before the performance. You’ll need to decide on some sound-making objects and/or instruments to bring.

If you want to come but you’d like help with preparing we’d be very happy to answer questions or offer guidance.

For much more about Pauline Oliveros and her musical world see her official website http://www.paulineoliveros.us

Very pleased to announce that the programme for our sixth Quiet Night In is all about voice. It’s at the Friends Meeting House in Exeter on Saturday 19 March at 7:30 and will include …

James Saunders
Each will appear or not appear (voice and two bowed strings)

Alvin Lucier
Wave Songs (soprano and pure wave oscillators)

Catherine Lamb
of animal (voice and viola solo)

John Cage
Litany for the Whale (2 voices)

Sarah Owen
Compact Mirror (CD players)

Alice Kemp
inhale as if to speak (solo performer)
cupped hands vessel (performers)

Tony Whitehead
shhhh (two performers)
What can’st thou say (solo performer)

There may be one or two tweaks, and perhaps one extra piece to add in.

Tickets £10 (£6 under 18’s, MU & ISM members, full-time students) from Exeter Phoenix 01392 667080 www.exeterphoenix.org.uk/category/buy-tickets Or on the door.

Our fifth quiet night in, on Friday 29th January 2016, 7.30pm at Spacex Gallery, Preston Street, Exeter is the second of three supported by the Composer-Curator Programme from Sound and Music, the national charity for new music. The venue will be the white-walled main gallery space, with the sounds of central Exeter all around.

The programme will feature:

Our fourth quiet night in, on 6th November 2015 at the Devon and Exeter Institution at the request of Wendy Smith, was supported by the Composer-Curator Programme from Sound and Music, the national charity for new music. The venue was the Institution’s 200 year old library, and the audience was seated among the books, some lucky listeners on extremely comfortable leather armchairs.

One audience-member described the concert as ‘Thoroughly enjoyable: intellectually challenging and yet also very calm and relaxing. Great venue and a beautifully curated programme.’

The programme featured:

John White ‘Newspaper Reading Machine’

Antoine Beuger ‘Landscapes of Absence’ (with film by Els van Riel)

‘Ark’ a brand new piece by Emma Welton composed for the evening, and for the Institution

Laurence Crane ‘Riis’

The pieces were performed by Victoria Cornet Loram (clarinet, newspapers and voice) Sarah Moody (cello, sonography and voice), Sarah Owen (voice and sonarian) Emma Welton (viola, hammond organ and voice), Tony Whitehead (glockenspiel, sonarian and voice) and we were joined by members of the Devon and Exeter Institution for ‘Newspaper Reading Machine’.

Our third, and most ambitious quiet night in, on 25 June 2015 at St Matthews Church, Exeter, featured a ten piece ensemble. The programme featured:

Antoine Beuger ‘Lieux de Passage’
Joanna Bailie ‘Artificial Environments’
Short piano pieces by Howard Skempton
James Saunders ‘imperfections on the surface may occasionally be apparent’
John White ‘Drinking and Hooting Machine’
‘Your Hearing Test’- a brand new piece by Hugh Nankivell composed for the evening

The pieces were performed by Charlie Sheppard-Vine, Ruth Molins, Andrew Gillett, James Mitchell, Alex Wilson, Emma Welton, Hugh Nankivell, Tony Whitehead and other guests

The second quiet night in was held on 27 November 2014 at Hope Hall in Exeter and featured the following pieces:

James Tenney “For percussion perhaps, or ….”

John Lely “Desk bells”

James Saunders “any one part can replace any other part”

Christian Wolff “Stones”

and Music Machine 34, a new piece by Exeter based composer Simon Belshaw written especially for A Quiet Night In (for double bass, melodica and Casio Digital Horn)

All pieces preformed by Emma Welton, Simon Belshaw and Tony Whitehead.