CUEE and Field Recording Ensemble with Dee Byrne

City St George’s, University of London Experimental Ensemble (CUEE) and Field Recording Ensemble come together for an evening of exploratory sound-making and collective improvisation.

Free admission; all are welcome, but please register to attend, since space is limited.

This year CUEE are joined by guest collaborator Dee Byrne, a UK-based saxophonist, composer and improviser working at the forefront of improvised music. Her music explores the outer edges of jazz, blending acoustic and electronic elements in collaborative settings across the UK and Europe.

CUEE with Dee Byrne will embark upon semi-structured collective improvisations, combining approaches devised by students with elements of conduction, graphic scoring and other interventions, all developed using an exploratory approach across the year and in workshop with Dee Byrne earlier this term.

About CUEE

City St George’s, University of London Experimental Ensemble (CUEE) creates a space for a wide range of experimental practice, welcoming any and all sound sources and instruments into its group exploration. Formed in 2016 by Tullis Rennie, CUEE places improvisation at the heart of its approach, combining guest artist encounters with making its own new work.

CUEE have collaborated with guests including Sam Andreae, Iris Colomb and Lilja María Ásmundsdóttir. In 2019 the group responded to improvised sound with visual artist Gina Southgate, co-producing a permanent installation on canvas for the Music Department at City. They have also worked with composers Alwynne Pritchard, Michael Finnissy, Kunsu Shim and Drew Crawford, as well as with Seth Cluett in a tribute concert to Pauline Oliveros. In 2019 a live recording of Cath Roberts' Off-World and March of the Egos by CUEE was featured on the multi.modal release Boundaries, alongside interpretations of Mieko Shiomi's Boundary Music by Jan Hendrickse and David Toop. The ensemble is led by Cath Roberts.

About the Field Recording Ensemble

The Field Recording Ensemble explores creative approaches to developing work with field recordings, foley, music and occasionally moving image. Their practice embraces walking and “foraging” for sounds outdoors, alongside studio-based work.

This year the ensemble has spent time at Walthamstow Wetlands, following the paths of the Regents Canal and the River Thames, and exploring foley (studio-recorded sound effects). Tonight’s presentation brings together some of the sounds captured during these excursions alongside live performance.