sound was set up in 2004 by Woodend Barn and the University of Aberdeen to create an annual festival of new music in North East Scotland. The festival aims to bring together a diverse mix of musical genres and make contemporary music more accessible to audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

sound 2011 will open with a three day showcase created for the newly formed New Music Scotland (NMS) network.

‘Scotland has a rich a vibrant new music scene,’ says Fiona Robertson, Programme Coordinator for the sound Festival and a founder member of New Music Scotland. ‘The idea for the network came out of a gathering of performers, composers and promoters last year and aims to both support the creation and performance of new music as well as raise the profile of this important part of Scotland’s cultural life.’

The NMS showcase features 17 events over three days including: the Red Note Ensemble performing Philp Glass's 1,000 Airplanes on the Roof with Scottish soprano Judith Howarth; and performances from Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, NYOS Futures, and the Scottish Clarinet Quartet. There will also be a keynote lecture from renowned musicologist, Professor Jonathan Cross. 

The second week of the festival will feature the first pieces of work to come out of the year long Three Cities Project – a project involving composers, musicians and communities in Aberdeen, Bergen and St Petersburg. On the 29 Oct an informal performance will take place showcasing new pieces by Suk-Jun Kim, Pete Stollery and Ross Whyte - as well as compositions created by members of the public who can take part in special sound design workshop earlier in the day.

The fourth biennial University of Aberdeen Music Prize will host three days of associated events between the 4 – 6 November including a concert by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (SSO), a portrait of composer Julian Anderson and a gala concert - where the BBC SSO will perform compositions by the five finalists and the winner of the £5,000 prize will be announced.

This year's programme also has a definite Nordic thread running through it, with Sweden’s Curious Chamber Players staging four concerts showcasing brand new work from Scandinavian composers as well as performances from Lapland’s Auriga Wind Quintet and the Stavanger Vocalensemble from Norway.

Lovers of vocal music will be able to watch the EXAUDI Vocal Ensemble perform with the chamber group Endymion and lead a workshop exploring works by Judith Weir and Howard Skempton, as well as celebrate with the Con Anima Chamber Choir as they launch their 2nd album: Madrigali: Fire & Roses - which sets English and Italian Renaissance works against contemporary interpretations of the same text.

Other highlights in the packed programme include Tommy Smith leading the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra in two word premieres by Bobby Wellins, and Mercury Music Prize Nominee King Creosote makes a return to the festival supported by indie band Kid Canaveral.

The full festival programme, along with details of how to buy tickets for all the events can be found on the sound Festival website.

sound Festival and the New Music Scotland Network both receive investment from Creative Scotland.

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