Auntie Joy returns to the Holy Cross Church, Ryton on Saturday 16th March for another afternoon of Secular Sounds in a Sacred Space, the 3-hour durational music event where experimental composition and improvisation are to the fore.
Curated by TQ&NofC, the event will bring together improvising musicians from across the North of England in combination with the sound of the Church bells and that of the Church organ, alongside other acoustic instruments and electronics.
The invitation to the participating musicians and artists is to explore and "play" the acoustic of the unique interior space of the 800 year old Church, with an encouragement to access all areas as was the case to striking effect at the previous Auntie Joy.
Equally, the invitation to audience members during the event is to feel free to alter listening positions and to sample the soundscape from different locations throughout the Church.
Chris Bartholomew will be bringing a newly composed piece - Os Sanctum - for its premier performance, featuring the manipulated sound of the Church bells, resonant amplification, and sonic manipulation. Evoking Alvin Lucier and Tim Hecker
Katie Apple Oswell will present her own piece, described as "electronic forays and glossolalic voices rise from the sea goddess".
Joining us from Cumbria will be Tiger Mode, featuring the jazz and improv talents of Jilly Jarman and Geoff Bartholomew. Their focus and intention will be to explore "between harmony and atonality, acoustic sounds, samples, electronic treatments, and landscapes".
To start the event, the Church Bellringers under the guidance of Tower Captain John Robinson, will sound the Church Bells
And joining the Bells during this opening phase, in glorious dis/array, will be Sally Pilkington on the Church organ, and Christian Alderson on assorted percussion.
A live sound recording of the event will be captured by recordist Charlie McGovern for release at a later date.
Admission is £10 or pay what you can afford...and doors open at 1.30pm for a 2pm start.