2021
Wednesday 20th October 2021 | 18:00
- Somatic Music: An Experiment in Music and Embodied Cognition
- Sound Festival 2021
- The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen. | £12/£8/£5/Free
| Martin Iddon | Sapindales |
Rūta Vitkauskaitė | Azykhantropean Tunes |
| Oli Jan | Three Singers on Planet M |
| Björn Heile | 3x10 Musical Actions for Three Socially Distanced Performers |
| Raymond McDonald | Stolen in a Dreamland Heist |
| Lisa Robertson | Heartwood for solo clarinet |
- Heather Roche clarinet
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler musical director
Sunday 15th – Saturday 21st August 2021
- Ensemble Thing: systems_theory
- Made in Scotland Showcase
- Online event. | £10/£8
| Thomas Butler | Coordinates for cello |
Josué Collado Fregoso | Control |
| Shona Mackay | Cloud Hands |
| Michael Gordon | Light Is Calling |
| Kate Moore | Velvet |
| Hannah Imlach | Fieldwork (artist film) |
| Emily De Simone and John De Simone | flow |
Sunday 15th August 2021 | 20:00
- systems_theory: Meet the Artists
- Online event | Free but ticketed.
Hosted by Summerhall’s programming team via Zoom, this post-show discussion offers you the chance to find out more about the production, hear from the artists about the ideas behind the show, and ask your own questions.
Saturday 12th June 2021 | 16:00
- Face to Face: Performance 2 — Fabricated Sounds
- Online event, aejaa.com | Free.
Première of collaboratively-composed works by Attica!, Ensemble Thing, Jimena Maldonado, and Jan Foote.
Friday 12th June 2021 | 20:00
- Face to Face: Performance 1 — Closing Distance
- Online event, aejaa.com | Free.
| Josué Collado Fregoso | Zoom Loops |
| Jan Foote | Shadow Lines |
| Jimena Maldonado | Mosaic No.1 |
| Thomas Butler | Elsewhere |
| Jan Foote | Refractions |
| Fernanda Cabral K | Movounduzzle |
Friday 11th June 2021 | 17:30
- Face to Face: Roundtable 1 — Thriving musically in a (post-)Covid world, part I
- Online event, aejaa.com | Free.
Roundtable discussion with Michael Gordon, Jorge Sosa, Ruta Vitkauskaite, Angélica Negrón and Emily De Simone. Chaired by Thomas Butler and Josué Collado.
From Friday 26th February 2021
- Art of Energy Exhibition 2021
- Online exhibition. | Free.
Exhibition includes Aeolian Survey (2016) by Hannah Imlach and Thomas Butler.
2020
Saturday 12th December 2020 | 19:45
- Seeing Sound 2020
- Online event. | Free.
| Freida Abtan | My Heart is a River |
| Roberto Musanti and No Mos | Petra celata |
| Jing Wang and Harvey Goldman | Strange Attractors |
| João Oliveira | Things I have seen in my dreams |
| Kurz Laurenz Theinert | The Visual Piano |
| Santiago Vilanova | Forms |
| Maura McDonnell | Visual Dérive |
| Clovis McEvoy | Pillars of Introspection |
| Simone Sims Longo | Scorpione |
| Alberto Novello | Reaction Diffusion Scan Processor |
| Gerald Gormley | Burner |
| Derek Holzer | Ocular Pathogen Transmission |
| Leon Eckard | Myse en Abyme |
| Antenor Ferreira and Isabel Pérez del Pulgar | El Bosque Hechizado |
| Daniela de Paulis | Cogito in Space |
| Thomas Butler | Coordinates for cello |
| Brigid Burke | Gluttonous Wabling |
| Timothy Moyers | Golden Cuttlefish |
| Beth Warshafsky | Super Worm Moon |
| Tonalli R. Nakamura | Catalysts |
| Dot Product | TV/AV |
| Paul Jebanasam | silently out of the night |
Monday 7th December 2020 | 17:00
- University of Aberdeen Composers' Forum
- Online event. | Free.
Composer talk
Saturday 14th November 2020 | 18:00
- Ensemble Thing: systems_theory
- Being Human Festival
- Online event. | Free.
| Thomas Butler | Coordinates for cello |
| Shona Mackay | Cloud Hands |
| Hannah Imlach | Fieldwork (artist film) |
| Emily De Simone and John De Simone | flow |
Wednesday 12th February 2020 | 15:15
- University of Edinburgh Music Research Seminars
- Alison House, Nicolson Square, Edinburgh. | Free.
| Thomas Butler | Mapping as a compositional tool [research talk] |
2019
Sunday 22nd September 2019 | 14:00
- Sound Scotland: Get Composing
- North East Scotland Music School, Aberdeen. | Free.
Get Composing is a flexible programme for young people exploring composition and creative music in a fun and relaxed environment with professional composers and musicians.
Thursday 5th September 2019 | 20:00
- Ensemble Thing: Independence
- CCA, Glasgow. | £10/£7.
| John De Simone | Independence |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler musical director
Wednesday 24th July – Sunday 25th August 2019 (not Tues.) | 19:00 – 21:00
- Cryptic: Below the Blanket
- East Gate, Inverleith Row, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, EH3 5LP. | £14/£12 RBGE Members/£8 conc. + booking fee.
Artists Kathy Hinde, Luci Holland, Hannah Imlach, Heather Lander, Matthew Olden and composer Malcolm Lindsay have made work responding to the Flow Country’s wildlife and soundscape, the gradual process of peat formation, and even the way the blanket bog ‘breathes’ as it expands and contracts. Includes Hannah Imlach's film Fieldwork, made in collaboration with filmmaker Daniel Warren and composer Thomas Butler.
Wednesday 3rd July 2019 | 19:30
- Ensemble Thing: systems_theory
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £9/£6.
| Michael Gordon | Light is Calling |
| Kate Moore | Velvet |
| Thomas Butler | Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You |
| Shona Mackay | Cloud Hands |
| Hannah Imlach | Fieldwork (artist film) |
| Emily & John De Simone | New Work |
Sunday 30th June 2019 | 19:30
- Ensemble Thing: systems_theory
- CCA, Glasgow. | £9/£6 +booking fee.
| Michael Gordon | Light is Calling |
| Kate Moore | Velvet |
| Thomas Butler | Replaceable Parts for the Irreplaceable You |
| Shona Mackay | Cloud Hands |
| Hannah Imlach | Fieldwork (artist film) |
| Emily & John De Simone | New Work |
Wednesday 15th May 2019 | 17:30
- Enterprise Music Scotland The Cadogan Sessions: Works in Progress
- 51 Cadogan Street, Glasgow, G2 7HF. | Free.
The following works in progress are being shared: The Scottish Clarinet Quartet are working with composer Emily Doolittle and biologist Luke Rendell on a part-scored, part-improvised piece based on humpback whale song; Emily De Simone is preparing a programme for solo cello with electronics and video, featuring new music by John De Simone and Thomas Butler; Alice Allen and Katrina Lee are working on a project researching and performing uncredited and unpublished works by women composers, and will be performing Elizabeth Maconchy's Duo for Violin and Cello.
Wednesday 1st May – Tuesday 7th May 2019 (excl. 4th) | 11:00 – 17:00
- Rewind/Rewild exhibition
- OmVed Gardens, Townsend Yard, Highgate, N6 5JF. | Free.
Rewind/Rewild explores the ecological implications of rewilding and features artworks that foreground, analyse or challenge human relationships with plants, animals and landscapes. Includes Hannah Imlach's film Fieldwork, made in collaboration with filmmaker Daniel Warren and composer Thomas Butler.
Friday 12th April 2019 | 20:00
- Konzert | MyCity, MySounds: Thomas Butler
- ZKM - Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe. | Free.
| Thomas Butler | Karlsruhe Survey (and composer talk) |
Sunday 3rd February 2019 | 14:00
- Sound Scotland: Get Composing
- North East Scotland Music School, Aberdeen. | £10.
Get Composing is a series of composition workshops for young people aged 11+. In this workshop, composer Thomas Butler explores extended techniques.
Sunday 20th January 2019 | 10:30
- Sound Scotland: Winter Singing Day 2019
- Phoenix Centre, Bieldside, Aberdeen. | Free.
This informal day for all voice types will be led by composer conductor Thomas Butler and feature some of the best new music for voices around today. The repertoire will include a range of songs and works written for choirs by living composers and we will conclude the day with an informal sharing of all the pieces sung at 4pm.
2018
Thursday 16th August 2018 | 10:30
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Wednesday 15th August 2018 | 10:30
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Tuesday 14th August 2018 | 13:00
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Monday 13th August 2018 | 13:00
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Thursday 9th August 2018 | 13:00
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Wednesday 8th August 2018 | 13:00
- Summerhall, Edinburgh. | £10/£7.
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Thursday 22nd March 2018 | 19:00
- In Memoriam Claude Debussy
- Memorial Chapel, University of Glasgow. | Free and unticketed.
| Debussy | Sonata for cello and piano |
| Debussy | Sonata for flute, viola and harp |
| Debussy | Sonata for violin and piano |
| Adam Gorb | Serenad.... |
| Gregor Forbes | People and Statuary |
| Thomas Butler | Correspondence |
| Etienne Kippelen | Game of Faun |
| Gary Carpenter | Éclipse Lunaire |
| Martha Sullivan | Les Voix |
| Drew Hammond | Suite for Claude Debussy |
- Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chamber Players
- Jonathan Hargreaves director
2017
Friday 22nd September 2017 | 16:15
- Lammermuir Festival 2017
- Eastfield Farm, Whittingehame. | £15.
| Thomas Butler | Limnology (Slims River) |
| David Sawer | The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra |
| David Sawer | The Lighthouse Keepers |
- Red Note Ensemble and Red Note Academy
Friday 22nd September 2017 | 14:30
- Lammermuir Festival 2017
- Eastfield Farm, Whittingehame. | £15.
| Thomas Butler | Limnology (Slims River) |
| David Sawer | The Life and Death of 9413, a Hollywood Extra |
| David Sawer | The Lighthouse Keepers |
- Red Note Ensemble and Red Note Academy
Friday 22nd September 2017 | 12:00
- Lammermuir Festival 2017
- Tyninghame Village Hall. | £6.
| Solo pieces played by members of Red Note Academy |
| Thomas Butler | Limnology (Slims River) |
| Luke Bedford | The Wonderful No-headed Nightingale |
- Red Note Ensemble and Red Note Academy
Monday 7th August – Saturday 28th October 2017
Preview: Saturday 5th August 2017 | 19:00
- Blàthan Briste | Broken Flowers
- Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, North Uist. | Free.
Blàthan Briste | Broken Flowers is a collaborative exhibition by Alec Finlay and Hannah Imlach exploring energy independence, localism, and technology, from the Neolithic quernstones (hand-mills) of the islands, to the MoD rocket range on Uist and St Kilda, and the renewable energy arrays of the future. The exhibition includes Aeolian Survey by Hannah Imlach and Thomas Butler, a poetic exploration of the production and consumption of wind power.
2016
Saturday 22nd October 2016 | 16:00
- Sound Festival 2016
- Migvie Church, Tarland. | £10/£5.
| Bach | G Major Suite |
| John De Simone | Misremembrance |
| Eddie McGuire | Elegaic Lullaby |
| Piers Hellawell | A Frieze and a Litany |
| Duncan Strachan | Zarabanda |
| Tom Irvine | Safety |
| Gabriel Jackson | "Untitled" for Robert Irvine |
| Thomas Butler | Lament |
| William Sweeney | Caolas |
| James MacMillan | Knock Knock |
| Eleanor Alberga | Ride Through |
Saturday 8th October 2016 | 13:00
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Catherine Backhouse mezzo-soprano
- Brian McBride baritone
- Alan McHugh narrator
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Thursday 6th October 2016 | 20:00
| Emily Doolittle | Jan Tait and the Bear |
- Ensemble Thing
- Catherine Backhouse mezzo-soprano
- Brian McBride baritone
- Alan McHugh narrator
- Thomas Butler conductor
- Stasi Shaeffer director
Saturday 16th April 2016 | 13:00
- Loch Shiel Spring Festival 2016
- Acharacle Parish Church, Acharacle. | £10/£5.
| Thomas Butler | Six Maps of a Fragile Landscape |
- and works by David Fennessy, Duncan Strachan, James MacMillan, Sally Beamish and more.
2015
Thursday 10th December 2015 | 13:15
- ArtCOP Scotland
- CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. | Free but ticketed.
| ANTHEM! with Thomas Butler |
Saturday 24th October 2015 | 13:00
- Sound Festival 2015
- ACT Aberdeen, 33 King Street, Aberdeen. | Free.
| Francis Macdonald, Sonia Allori, Colin Broom,
Drew Hammond, John de Simone, Oliver Searle | You Can't Get There From Here |
- Ensemble Thing
- Thomas Butler musical director
Friday 23rd October 2015 | 20:00
- Sound Festival 2015
- The Lemon Tree, 5 West North Street, Aberdeen. | £9/£7/£4
| Lucy Boyes &Thomas Butler | Sandglass |
Friday 23rd October 2015 | 15:30
- New Music Scotland: In Cahoots / Sound Festival 2015
- Aberdeen Art Centre & Theatre, 33 King St., Aberdeen.
| Neil Tòmas Smith | Strange Machines |
| Thomas Butler | My Life in Ventriloquism |
- Jenny Stephenson clarinet