Michael Begg is an award winning experimental composer, sound artist and coder, based in East Lothian, Scotland. He is an Associate Artist at The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, and has held residencies with the European Marine Board, Ocean ARTic Partnership, the Mexican Centre for Music and Sound Art, and Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute.
New Music Scotland Awards
In 2018, Michael Begg won the New Music Scotland (NMS) Award for Sound Art, for his site specific sound work, ‘TITAN’. This was a Cryptic commission for Sonica, located in the wheelhouse of Clydebank’s iconic shipyard crane.
Two further shortlist nominations for NMS awards followed in 2021 with the work, ‘Be Mine in Patience’. This was an embrace in B minor, an ambitious work gathering contributions from over 100 contributing musicians from classical, post rock, experimental and jazz communities, gathering in an expression of fortitude through the Covid lockdown.
Black Glass Ensemble
Michael Begg is the musical director of Black Glass Ensemble. The Ensemble was featured in a two day showcase, Black Glass In Pieces, in the Made In Scotland EXPO at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe.
Climate data into soundscapes
Michael’s work, often composed in collaboration with climate scientists, features innovative translations of climate data into soundscapes and extensive use of field recording to arrive at a new music that speaks to our growing sense of solastalgia.
In 2024, Michael Begg completed a two month residency in Antarctica thanks to the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. The work arising from his time hosted by the Royal Navy aboard HMS Protector is being screened and performed under the title, ‘Out Of Whose Womb Comes The Ice’.
Solastalgia
“Solastalgia is at the heart of the work. This differs from climate anxiety which anticipates catastrophe. Solastalgia takes the position that we are in the midst of that catastrophe. We need to uncover new forms of expression to deal with that.”
