The Harmonic Drift Composers Collective is a network of composers, sound artists, and music makers formed to support the development of new experimental work. The collective provides a platform for sharing expertise, peer mentorship, and creating opportunities for the presentation of new music in Leitrim and internationally.
At The Dock, Sophie Cooper (trombone, installation) will collaborate with Eimear Reidy (cello) to reimagine her installation work Echoes and Reclamation for a live performance at New Music Dublin. Originally written for a brass quintet and shaped by ideas of recycling, reuse and field recording, the work transforms chopped and elongated musical material into an echoing sound landscape rooted in place. Echoes and Reclamation will be presented by New Music Dublin with support from the Arts Council and in partnership with RTÉ and the National Concert Hall.
Harmonic Drift Composers Collective will also present Short Films about Music, Sound, and Composition screenings of four short films followed by a Q&A with collective members Sophie Cooper, Eimear Reidy, and Natalia Beylis regarding their practices and the films' relation to their work.
Sophie Cooper is a sound artist who Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//) refer to as “A crucial member of Yorkshire’s far-reaching experimental music scene”.
In recent years, Sophie has been working on the production of long term, collaborative project-based works that are positioned in community facing locations. Working across composition, sound design, spatialized sound, music education and performance, Sophie creates emotional and thought provoking experiences that always take into consideration a real connection to audiences. She uses literature and site-specific narratives to inspire new works, often in collaboration with visual artists.
She has had work exhibited at The John Rylands Research Institute and Library, Wordsworth Grasmere Museum, Bury Art Gallery, Hereford Courtyard Art Centre and Gallery Frank as well as music venues including Cafe Oto and hcmf//.
Eimear Reidy is a cellist with a diverse musical practice ranging from historical performance practice to sound art. She is a keen improviser and has performed with musicians such as The Quiet Club, Strange Attractor, and Laura Hyland, as well as solo performances in The Guest House, Plugd Records, Zolala, Sonic Vigil, Féile na Gréine, The Dock Arts Centre, Spike Cello festival, and the Kat Laughs festival.
Eimear has written music for a variety of settings including theatre, art installations, and dance performances. In 2018, Eimear wrote This Island in collaboration with Robert Curgenven, for solo cello and field recordings from Heir Island. It was performed at Sirius Arts Centre and Skibbereen Arts Festival.
Eimear is part of the duo Whose Woods Are These with Natalia Beylis. In 2020/21, they performed at Cairde Festival, Hunters Moon, Echoes at The Castle, and Test Site, and released their debut album on Nyahh Records. In 2021, Eimear's debut solo album Things That Happened at Sea was was written and recorded whilst on residency at Cill Rialaig in Kerry and released on Nyahh Records.