28/04/2025
Coming up in the May edition of "Left of Leeds" on East Leeds Community Radio a discussion with Knaresborough based musician David Aldred featuring music recorded live in Studio 2 at ChapelFM Arts Centre. In his own words:
"I began composing music many years ago, forming my own band, then later
performing solo and with South African singer Joyce Moholoagae at festivals and
venues in the Manchester area.
I’ve produced three CDs of original songs and music with Keir Stewart of Durutti
Column (Tony Wilson’s favourite artist on his Factory Records label) and have had a
collection of poetry published.
I sang tenor in Manchester Cathedral Choir under Christopher Stokes, a particular
highlight being our performance of Elgar’s ‘Dream of Gerontius’ in the cathedral
with renowned soloists, the Manchester Camerata orchestra and a boys choir.
I have been secretary and member of Songo Drumming Project, an African music
and drumming association, based in Leeds and founded by four asylum seekers.
As an Associate Artist at the Bradford Playhouse, I produced and mixed sound for
live theatre and presented collaborative and solo performances.
Having been awarded an MA in Sound Design, I then began a Practice-Research
PhD in Performing Arts at Leeds Beckett University which aims to connect
concepts of duration and virtuality to my creative practices.
I have performed electroacoustic surround-sound compositions at the Echochroma
XVI Concert, Leeds Beckett University and at the Electric Saturday event of Leeds
College of Music’s ‘Sounds Like This’ festival and presented at the Salford
University SPARC (Salford Postgraduate Annual Research Programme) conference
‘The Power of Music’ a performance collaboration which included poetry, song,
video, dance and electronic music.
I was selected as poet in the Composer and Poets Forum of Leeds Lieder Festival
and went on to perform an extended electro-acoustic version of the piece for the
'Art Song Platform' at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Other performances include Sparkle transgender and Chorlton Arts Festivals, in
Manchester, soundscapes for Leeds Light Night, Leeds Carnival and street festivals
in several Yorkshire towns with Shrikant Subramaniam my partner in Mimesis Arts
which is supported by the Arts Council.
In 2017 I formed an arts partnership with Shrikant Subramaniam to develop
performances and workshops embracing dance, sound, music, poetry, and
interactive visuals inspired by folk tales and myths from diverse cultures from
around the world. During lockdown Mimesis presented several international online
streaming shows.
Recently we presented ‘Abida’, funded by the Arts Council, at several theatres,
which I composed based on a concept drawn from the Gnawa ceremony of
colours and associated scents and sounds. The seven hues are represented in
seven corresponding scenes combining fragrance, songs and music with
movement and visuals in synaesthetic medleys.
I also produced a sound loop for a selection of sculptures for the International
Glass Festival in Stourbridge, which included three of my own compositions.
I am now preparing for a comprovisation performance ‘Jwahs Solaires’ with
fellow academics and artists Ángela Hoyos Gómez and Juan Hernández, music
PhD researchers at the University of Huddersfield and University of Leeds
respectively.
Along with director Jan Williams, I launched Red Wall Theatre in 2023 which is a
Yorkshire-based community theatre group. It aims to bring new or lesser-known
drama, with popular appeal and a social ‘edge,’ to a wider audience. We
presented four performances of Francis Beckett’s play ‘Clement Attlee: a modest
little man’ in Yorkshire last year and I produced sound and songs for the show,
along with playing a brief role as King George VI.
We have now completed our second production, the play ‘Hindle Wakes’ written
by Stanley Houghton in 1910 and rehearsals are underway for our next
performance in the autumn.
A selection of audio material, under my stage name Da Vida, can be found here:
https://soundcloud.com/da_vida
Mimesis streaming show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd00kTiOifY&t=52s
Mission statement from www.mimesis.org.uk:
‘At the intersection of art forms, genres and cultures, Mimesis aspires to create
experiences of contemporary relevance encompassing mystical, psychedelic and
urban forms of expression. Employing both digital and traditional means,
acoustic and electronic textures, folk tales and poetry are transformed into
interactive performances to inspire diverse audiences, develop creativity and
promote connectivity in our community.
Incorporating a diversity of cultural traditions and employing a range of art forms
and methods of creative expression, Mimesis aims to appeal to a wide cross-
section of the community, promote inclusivity and encourage an international
perspective of connectivity.’"
