Yorkshire Sound Women NetworkS (TDN 2025)
Bio: Yorkshire Sound Women Network (YSWN) is a Yorkshire-based CIC championing gender equity in audio. YSWN inspires and enable women and people of minority genders to explore sound and music technology, running projects devoted to artistic development, education and network-building. YSWN also works with the audio industry to promote equality, tackle discrimination and increase opportunities. Founded in 2015, YSWN’s mission is to support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women and people of minority genders at all levels from studio floor to board room, and reflects the diversity of its participating communities.
Short Project Title: Changing Gear supports emerging music creators to make new electronic works, develop new technical skills and push creative boundaries.
Programme Description: Changing Gear is YSWN’s programme offering emerging music creators based in Yorkshire and the Humber commissions, equipment and support to develop and perform exciting new works, develop new technical skills and push creative boundaries. Following a first year which marked the centenary of electronic music pioneer Daphne Oram, Changing Gear’s second year coincides with the Railway 200 celebrations, exploring the sonic possibilities of trains and York’s status as a key railway city. Programme partners will be the University of York and the National Railway Museum. Three women and minority gender composers working across a range of genres will be selected to create new music. With access to the NRM’s exhibits and archives, they will join artists such as Kraftwerk and Steve Reich in taking sonic and thematic inspiration from trains – whilst also claiming women and minority gender people’s place among male-dominated histories and cultures. The creators will have access to the University of York music department’s state-of-the-art immersive sound studios – including a 20+ ambisonic loudspeaker array – offering them the time, space and technical support needed to take creative risks and develop skills. The new works will be performed in autumn 2025, supported by outreach workshops.