Composer and researcher Hayley Suviste presents a series of audio-visual and multichannel electronic works that weave together field recordings, oral histories, and moving image to explore how people and environments shape one another. From Manchester’s edgelands, rivers, and histories of urban clearance to the living ecosystems of England’s forests, these works draw attention not only to landscapes themselves, but to our complex and evolving relationships with them. Through encounters with activists, residents, ecologists, and archival voices, Sounding Place invites audiences to consider how we inhabit and shape the places around us: how we connect with landscapes and their inhabitants, write their histories, and contribute to their ongoing care.
Performed on City St George’s state-of-the-art SPARC Lab spatial sound system.
Admission
General admission: £5 - please sign up to attend here.
Unwaged / concessions: Free admission - please sign up to attend here.
City Students / Staff: Free admission - please sign up to attend here.
Autumn Concerts at City
For details of other concerts this term, please see the event listings on the City St George's website.
Programme
- Edgeland (2020)
- At the River’s Edge (2025)
- In Those Days / Community (2019)
- A Selection of Audio-Visual Works from Forestry England Residency (2025)
About Hayley Suviste
Working across field recording, archival sound, and moving image, Hayley uses her music to explore community, culture, and place. Rooted in Manchester, her practice draws on first-hand interviews and close collaboration with those who can provide the most accurate document of their environment. She works across installation, long-form composition, and live performance, often employing spatial audio to create expansive sonic experiences that invite reflection on our relationships with place, environment, and the stories that shape them.
Hayley is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at the University of Manchester’s NOVARS Research Centre, funded by the AHRC. Her research explores the use of oral histories as the foundation of her compositions while examining the ethical dimensions of incorporating these narratives into sound-based work.
Hayley’s work has been commissioned by Sounds from the Other City (2025), New Substance (2024), Mediale & the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (2022), North West Sound Heritage (2021), and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2020). She has undertaken residencies in 2025 with Forestry England, Sounds from the Other City & University of Salford Acoustic Laboratories, Maajaam (Estonia), and EMS (Sweden), as well as earlier with The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Newcastle (2023), and Yorkshire Sound Women’s Network, Hull (2021). Her live performances have been presented at Iklektik, The Stoller Hall, Hallé St Michaels, and festivals including TOR Fest, FAT OUT Fest, and BBC Radio 3’s Northern Drift.
Alongside her compositional work, Hayley is a creative producer at the Radiophonic Institute, working on initiatives such as The Oram Awards. She also co-runs The Manchester Ear, a sound walk project that encourages communities to engage with their environment through sound walking, deep listening, and field recording workshops across Manchester.
Attendance at City St George's events is subject to our terms and conditions.
-
Performance Space
College Building
280 St John St
London EC1V 4PB
United Kingdom