ABOUT UNHEARD
UNHEARD is a collective of composers, conductor and instrumentalists based in Manchester, England.
Our hybridised electronic and acoustic concerts bridge classical music, popular culture, myth, interactive media, and more. Our goal is to create an innovative blend of these influences, as well as crossover between their audiences.
Our collective also brings contemporary classical music to new and different fields through collaboration with scientists, academics and film makers.
EVOLUTION OF NEW MUSIC
UNHEARD began as the Royal Northern College of Music’s New Music Society, and the RNCM UnHeard group still continues as a separate entity. The UNHEARD HYBRID ORCHESTRA sprang from that society as its performance wing – bringing players from all across the college together to have as broad and collaborative an experience of contemporary music as possible. Both the Orchestra and UnHeard itself have now expanded to become independent performing entities, though we maintain close ties to the RNCM and continue to collaborate with some its finest musicians from all its schools and departments.
The premiere UHO concert was part of RNCM Lab Week in 2020, and this was followed up with UNHEARD HYBRID ONLINE - a digital event which headlined RNCM PLAY in March 2021 (recordings of these can be viewed on the Media page).
The group has previously performed works by Fraz Ireland, Heléna Walsh, Cally Statham (KALIGULA), Deane Smith, Emilio Yáñez Ruíz, Nate Chivers, Athanasia Kontou, Simon Knighton, Zakiya Leeming, Rob Laidlow, Bofan Ma and Tywi JH Roberts. We have also collaborated with artists such as Besingende Gedallánd and Manoli Moriaty.
On 12th September 2021, we presented our first event external to the RNCM: [UN]QUOTE - live at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation in Chorlton Mill, Manchester.
This was the first of an ongoing series of concerts in which the material will take inspiration from popular culture, movies, folk music, myth, interactive media, and more. This is part of our goal to create an innovative blend of these influences, and create a crossover between the audiences for these sources and the audience of the art music world.