Cinema for the ear at the Belfast Festival

Matthew first took to the stage performing a chamber opera in Belfast in 2009, as part of Spark Opera’s first project, Bridge Sparks. Since then he’s been busy.

“I’ve moved to Glasgow and finished a Masters in the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland,” said Matthew.

“While here I’ve established Edit-Point, a contemporary music group dedicated specifically to the performance and dissemination of electroacoustic music.”

As Scotland’s only touring electroacoustic ensemble, Matthew described their work: “We are like cinema for the ear.

“I call it visual audio music because you hear a sound, such as a door opening, and the sound creates a vision in your head.

“Basically the electronics are projected around the room by a multi-channel surround sound system.

“We bring in 10 speakers which are situated around the room.

“As you can imagine, there’s a lot of setting up involved and most of the day is spent assembling and then dismantling equipment.”

Although now living in Glasgow, Matthew has not forgotten his Lisburn roots. “As part of Edit-Point, I want to bring as much as possible back to Northern Ireland,” he said.

And certainly this upcoming performance at the Crescent Arts Centre is achieving Matthew’s goal.

Performing in their first UK tour, Edit-Point are working alongside the Gildas Quartet, a string group.

Their programme features music for strings and electronics exploring distinctive sonorities and sound worlds.

These range from the careful amplification in George Crumb’s renowned Black Angels that highlights and magnifies tiny string sounds and is almost industrial sounding, through to Northern Irishman, Ed Bennett’s String Factory. In Bennett’s composition the violin takes on the role of protagonist amidst a dense and elaborate electronic part where pre-recorded violin material is transformed into industrial sounds. In between you can hear a myriad of approaches to the combination of strings and electronics.

Matthew has always had a passion for music since childhood and is delighted about the Belfast performance. Ticket prices range from £8 concession to £10 for full price adult and are available from the Crescent Arts Centre.