“Studies on the Theme of Something Delicate” (2026, world premiere). Liisa Hõbepappel: “Last summer, while I was in residency with the Baltic Contemporary Opera Network in Aknīste, Southern Latvia, searching for new germinal ideas for opera, I intuitively proposed the working title ‘Something Delicate.’ My gut feeling told me I wanted to create a fragile and delicate sound world. This idea resonated there and confirmed that many of us share a longing for something tender. We don’t often think about it—it acts more like an instinct, something the hands write on paper before the mind has a chance to intervene.

The more I tried to imagine a detail-rich and delicate soundscape, the more I became intrigued by the thought that it could be something separate from humans—something that must be cared for not by controlling or dominating it, but through attentive presence. I decided to develop a self-playing world consisting of sound objects and small fans, which an improvisation ensemble engages with through various roles (Witness, Gardener, Keeper, Canvas, Calibrator, and Memory). Developing the concept for this work, and defining this self-playing world, the roles, and the system of rules governing them, has become the focal point of my creative interest. Today’s concert is the first step toward realizing this idea. I am very grateful to have been able to explore this with the Quiet Music Ensemble.”

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Karen Power: “human nature series (2020) is a collection of 18 miniature duos between a single instrument/human-induced sound and an un-processed field recording.

All of the field recordings are essentially composed spaces in terms of choice of microphones, placement, duration, as I consider field recording of this kind the first stage of composition. Although the original recordings were made without knowledge of this series, they are still ‘loaded’ with my creative intention and unique listening experience.

Field recordings are sonic ‘snapshots’ of real life events. They originate outside of any ‘musically constructed world’, but that is not to say that they do not contain ‘musical’ elements. Over many years of composing and listening/recording, I have focused on hearing the many connections between our worlds naturally occurring sonic events and our more constructed musical world. For this series, I have chosen 18 extracts from thousands of field recordings I have made between 2012–2019. Each field recording has been chosen because – at the time of the recording – I recall feeling/hearing an integral ‘musical’ element, which is further enhanced by pairing it with a musician and their musical instrument.

Field recordings can exist and adhere to their own time, rhythm, harmony, pacing and micro/macro structure. In this series, each recording has been largely removed from its macro structure/context, which means that they can perhaps be heard as sonically-afloat, or temporarily unattached. Each performer – as the duet partner – has the potential to re-anchor, or provide a new context that is governed by each unique pairing. Together instrument + field recording carve out momentary sonic spaces that enable each of us to bring music and our world together in a very personal way. For example: those of you who have been to the Amazon rainforest might hear the frogs in Amazonian frogs within the context of your own Amazonian experience. Or perhaps you understand the language being spoken in a European transport hub, which might alter your hearing of that piece and the relationship between human and nature.

Every piece within this series is an invitation to listen, to hear each unique exchange between human and animal/place/nature/industry. To delve into new sonic territories with each extraordinary musician, who emanate from a variety of backgrounds and musical contexts. Each of these miniature pieces stands alone, but also belong to a series that exhibits a range of different musical elements that are then enhanced through each duet.

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Three Songs of Doggerland (2026, premiere). Märt-Matis Lill: “Doggerland was a landmass in the southern part of the North Sea that connected the islands of Great Britain and Ireland to mainland Europe. This land remained there for thousands of years after the end of the last Ice Age but eventually disappeared underwater due to rising sea levels and a suspected mega-tsunami that occurred approximately 6,200 years ago.

Based on underwater findings, Doggerland appears to have been an abundant habitat, its lush nature providing a favorable environment for humans, animals, and plants alike. I attempted to create a soundscape of the songs that the people living there might once have heard and sung. Surely the land and the animals sang back to them, creating a wave of sound that filled the entire land. Perhaps on a particularly still day, in certain places along the eastern coast of Great Britain, one can—with an open mind—quietly, ever so quietly, hear those ancient songs of Doggerland.”

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Anna Murray: “my little Force explodes is a ritual of letter-opening, conversation, breath, communication and message, based on the ‘envelope writings’ of Emily Dickinson*. Originally written for a duo of flute and voice, this version was specially reconceived for performance by Quiet Music Ensemble.”

*Emily Dickinson’s “envelope poems” are intimate, posthumously discovered works written between 1870 and 1885 on envelopes and scraps of household paper. These transient fragments, often referred to as “envelope poems,” showcase a mature, “radical” writing style where the words frequently follow the folds or orientation of the paper. They demonstrate her economical use of materials and her intense creative process.