Other Minds Festival presents The Nature of Music 16: Karen Power

Karen Power (born 1977) is a composer whose work spans compositions for orchestras, to sound installations. She is known for incorporating everyday sounds into her works. Karen’s compositions utilize two primary sources; acoustic instruments and everyday sounds, spaces and soundscapes. Her output is diverse – both in its approach and delivery – and her primary aim is to capture and translate the essence of an idea through any artistic means necessary. For example, recent projects have been presented as orchestral works, sonic installations, chamber music, collaborations between sound and dance, image and experimental film, free improvisations and musical happenings.

Everyday environments and how we hear everyday sounds lies at the core of Karen Power’s practice with a continued interest in blurring the distinction between what most of us call ‘music’ and all other sound. She has found inspiration in the natural world and how we respond to spaces we occupy. She continually utilizes our inherent familiarity with such sounds and spaces as a means of engaging with audiences. Resulting works challenge the listeners memory of hearing while simultaneously shifting focus and presenting new contexts for such sounds. Karen’s current practice revolves around her development of aural scores + parts as alternate methods of communication with performers.

Power will present her 14-channel sound installation ...sounds like the amazon…(2017) —a tapestry of field recordings from her trip to the Amazon rainforest in July of 2016. The installation brings the sounds, rhythms, and harmonies of the Amazon to a concert setting to explore how one reacts to those natural characteristics when they are presented in human-made spaces.

Also on the programme, works from Power's Human Nature Series (2020) performed by guitarist and founder of Ireland’s Quiet Music Ensemble, John Godfrey. Human Nature Series is a collection of 18 miniature duos between human-induced sound and un-processed field recordings captured by the composer over the past decade. Godfrey will be performing pieces Nos. 8 and 19, featuring field recordings of bats in Namibia and sea caves off the coast of Beara, Ireland respectively.

This event is sponsored by a generous gift from Barbara Bessey, with additional support from Culture Ireland (Cultúr Éireann).

Tickets

Tickets available via Other Minds on Eventbrite, click HERE.