Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Names Composer-in-Residence

Sarah Hennies will write a new work for the festival, and she will also appear in a percussion recital

The Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//) in West Yorkshire, England, has named Sarah Hennies as its Composer-in-Residence for the 48th edition of the festival, which is set to take place between November 21 and 30, 2025.

As part of the residency, two of Hennies' existing works will receive festival performances, and she will also write a brand new work especially for the festival. Hennies is also a percussionist, and she will give a short recital as part of the hcmf// shorts program.

On November 21, Ensemble Dedalus will give the UK premiere of Hennies' piece Motor Tapes, a 60-minute work inspired by neuroscientist Rodolfo Llinás’s idea of the brain’s ongoing patterns. These patterns are brought to life through layered repetitions, shifting rhythms, and transformed childhood melodies.  

Then, on Sunday, November 23, the Mivos Quartet will play Borrowed Light, a piece that draws on Shaker architecture and beliefs, reflecting on their vision of inner light and the quiet unravelling of a utopian community shaped by devotion and isolation. This 60-minute string quartet was premiered by Mivos Quartet to critical acclaim at the 2023 Darmstadt Summer Course, and the festival performance will be its UK premiere.   

Hennies' new work will be played on 25 November by the Saviet/Houston Duo. The piece will be scored for piano and violin, and has been commissioned by the ensemble with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, Donaueschinger Musiktage, and hcmf//.     

Hennies' music centers on themes of queer & trans identity, psychoacoustics, and the social and neurological conditions underlying creative thought. Her style sits at the intersection between a number of genres, including experimental music, performance, and sound art.