Prestigious music festival commission for Music alumna Hayley Suviste

An alumna from The University of Manchester’s Department of Music has recently been awarded a prestigious commission for Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2020 for a piece that centres on urban ecology. 

Hayley Suviste, who received both her master’s in Electroaccoustic Composition and bachelor’s in Music from Manchester, recorded Edgeland for the renowned festival, which was then given its premiere on BBC Radio 3. 

Edgeland brings together conversations, composed music and field recordings from some of Manchester’s green spaces in danger of being lost to urban development. Interviewees include community activists Julie Ryan and Tara Parry from ‘Friends of Ryebank Fields’, award-winning alternative tour guide Hayley Flynn (Skyliner) and Dr Jenna C Ashton (artist, curator and lecturer at The University of Manchester). The work aims to shine a spotlight on the significance of public green spaces and their role in environmental and mental health, and how they are perceived by those who enjoy and look after them.  

An edited version of Edgeland is available to listen back to on the BBC and more information about Hayley Suviste and her work is available on her website.