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ABOUT:

Based in North Yorkshire, living alongside the North Sea, Sarah Dew is a songwriter, composer, poet, field recordist, sound artist, music teacher and music director. She gained a Masters in Music (acousmatic composition) at Hull University in 2018.

Blending melody, field recording and poetry with sonic art, she conveys thoughtful and fictional journeys based on myth, magic and transformation. Her soundscape compositions are rooted in the landscape, sea and sky, emerging through her deep wonder and appreciation of the natural world.

 

Sarah’s field recordings capture sounds of the coast, woodland, forest, rivers and moorland. Her works transcend time, aiming to take the listener on magical, ethereal journeys into a realm of extraordinary. She hopes that hearing sounds of nature within the works will inspire wellbeing in listeners and a desire to protect natural and fragile environments.

Notable recent performances of her acousmatic works include a sound installation in the lighthouse at Spurn Point (Yorkshire Wildlife Trust) throughout summer 2019. In 2020, Sarah was commissioned to compose works to celebrate the bicentenary of

Anne Bronte at the The Brontë Parsonage Museum, Haworth. She recently completed 'The Dark Store', a radio ballad in collaboration with writer Charlotte Oliver, supported by

Arts Council England (see the 'Dark Store' webpage). She has also worked with Charlotte on commissions for Scarborough's South Cliff Gardens Project.

 

All her performances/installations and current commissions/projects can be found on the ‘Events’ page.

 

Sarah’s work is suited to artistic radio, the ambience of her work being determined by the interpretation of the listener.

 

Birds of Heart and Sky came about through a love of birds. It is a radio ballad: a collection of emotive audio works, songs, compositions and field recordings celebrating a selection of birds currently on the Red List of most vulnerable birds in the UK. This audio installation was created to help raise awareness and promote more public support to help increase bird populations. It is a suite of songs illuminating puffins, turtle doves, curlews, skylarks and cuckoos; linked by sound art, field recordings and spoken word. It includes printed text to give further information on the birds, also enabling hearing impaired audience members to fully access the lyrics.

Music, lyrics and sounds are composed, recorded and produced by me,  Scarborough composer/songwriter Sarah Dew with recorded contributions from guest singers and other field recordists. 
The project is approved by the RSPB.


The project was installed at Hull University as part of ‘This Is Hull’ week.
In July, 2024, it received great acclaim when it was installed with dramatic and atmospheric lighting at St Mary’s Church, Scarborough as part of Scarborough Art.


 

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