16.02.23 – Opening night of the LifeSpace Exhibition, and solo performance (live)
16.01.23 – 16.02.23 – Recording sound/creating pieces for the LifeSpace Exhibition @Dundee LifeSciences WCAIR, with Emily Fong and Alan Fairlamb.
19.01.23 – Wormhook book and album release – Akashic Records Event – solo gig @McNeills, Glasgow with Ailie Ormston, Marl 2 and Dick 50
18.12.22 – Group jam recording session in Manchester: with Howie Jacobs, Paddy Steer, Tony Burnside, Richard Harrison, Graham Massey at WR Audio with Biff Roxby.
30.11.22 – 03.12.22 – GIOfest, Glasgow @CCA, Glasgow.
25.11.22 – Launch night for first solo recorded works – Raspberry Hotel – with Akashic Records, Glasgow @Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, Glasgow.
https://akashicrecords1.bandcamp.com/album/raspberry-hotel
30.10.22 – Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra – 20th anniversary gig @The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow.
30.10.22 – “Soliloquy for Autumn” – a new part-graphic-score/trad composition to be performed at the Sound Scotland festival 2022
https://sound-scotland.co.uk/event/spotlight-gig
Composers: J Diaz, Jessica MacIsaac, Semay Wu and Thomas Metcalf Artists: Stephanie Lamprea and Fiona Winning
New works by Scotland-based composers J Diaz, Jessica MacIsaac, Thomas Metcalf and Semay Wu resulting from a composer development opportunity.
13-16.10.22 – Pop Mutations Festival – @The Old Hairdressers
08.08.22 – Howie Reeve recordings remote. Cello and electronics
29-31.07.22 – rehearsals for Lisa Fannen’s project involving 4 strings, 4 voices and two bagpipers.
13.07.22 – Ben Owen presents Deeds Done In The Body, this Wednesday, 13 July, 6.30pm, Wee Red Bar.
Artist: Ben Owen,
Musicians: Seth Bennett, John Kenny, Casey Miller, and myself.
13-15.06.22 – Mayming mixes with Seaming To and Graham Massey.
11.06.22 – Festival of Making – MoreMusic’s commission for musicians and producers to take a 1hr slot to create a piece of music in public using field recordings from Blackburn’s industrial landscape. 3-4pm – 29 Northgate, Ewood, Blackburn BB2 1JU
27.05.22 – String recordings at 61 Berkeley Street, Glasgow for Paul Baran’s new music.
14-26.04.22 – Recordings and arrangements for Rob McKinlay’s Paper Machine Music.
01.04.22 – Club Integral Midlands Branch & Fizzle evening at The Edge, Friction Arts, Birmingham.
17-21.01.22 – New Emergences new project already underway:
acoustic interiors:
the acoustic memory of a building
NEW EMERGENCES* invites you to participate in the project ACOUSTIC INTERIORS. We want to create sonic portraits of the two buildings between which the Royal Conservatoire is currently transitioning: the old one at Juliana van Stolberglaan 1, a building full of stories, and the brand new Amare, an almost empty building at Spuiplein 150.
Which sounds in the old busy building would you like to preserve? Which sounds from Amare would you like to capture before it gets busy there? And after the old building has been abandoned, which spaces would you like to revisit? The ACOUSTIC INTERIORS project presentation will take place some time in 2022. The final presentation will include a digital release, an installation and a website. Any additional formats and recordings proposed by the participants are welcome.
If you are interested, please contact anne wellmer via <anne@newemergences.com>. The time frame for the recordings at Amare and Juliana van Stolberglaan is December 3–12 2021 and January 17–21. The daily sessions between take place from 13:30–15:30.
11.01.22 – Making and recording sounds in a care setting, in Perth and Kirriemuir – with artist Benjamin Owen.
09 – 11.12.21 – ‘Bambino’ – an opera for babies with Improbable Theatre.
Buy tickets – https://www.improbable.co.uk/current-projects/bambino-at-home
Live streamed:
Thursday 9th: 2pm; Friday 10th 11am & 2pm; Saturday 11th 11am & 2pm.
26.11.21 – Breathing Space podcast – https://www.buzzsprout.com/1880383
Early in the year, I spent a day with Jason Singh and Tom Bonnett, who recorded me play outdoors and to chat a bit about music in the pandemic, and what perspectives i hold currrently.
Three other brilliant podcasts already online to listen to, featuring:
Aidan O’Rourke, Dr. Diljeet Bhachu, and Gyan Panesar… (to be continued)
Breathing Space is an immersive audio podcast series that celebrates outdoor spaces, sound, live performances and conversations with musician from around Scotland. Travelling from Edinburgh to Glasgow, Falkirk to Aberdeenshire, to the Highlands and on to Skye, Jason is joined by a diverse range of musicians exploring how their lives and music are inspired by outside spaces alongside playing improvised pieces in response to the environments in which they find themselves. The series’ aim is to have honest and open conversations about life, music, performance and nature …all recorded using binaural immersive audio.
28.11.21 – GLARC 00014 presents:
Rufus Isabel Elliot Launch – with Semay Wu, Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh & Andrew Herrington
https://www.facebook.com/events/625395788890079
22/23/29/30-10-2021 – 2 weekends of Third Eye TV – online – commissioned performances, interviews, old footage from the archive etc.
Saturday 23rd – commissioned performance – Semay Wu with Juana Adcock: “I scan the room”
Link: (~1hr 15mins in)
“I scan the room for a familiar face, but i’m the only one who’s out of place”
A 7-part audiovisual performance piece, based on the recordings of ‘7 moments’ in Juana Adcock’s Living Room. Juana is a brilliant poet, translator, writer, editor and improviser, based in Glasgow.
Performers were myself on cello, and Juana Adcock on words and voice.
Inspiration came from Graham Robb’s Above The Hill Suite, performed at the Third Eye in Glasgow. The title of this piece comes from a quote on that flyer, likely from the poet Anne Whitaker.
Further archival materials came from video footage and documentation of the Sound and Syntax International Sound Poetry Festival. The late Lily Greenham’s name popped up. As a sound poet, she worked on her own tape loops for music that she coined ‘Lingual Music’.”
19-10-2021 – Gig at Old Hairdressers, Glasgow – 8pm
Headline: Fritz Welch/Ilan Vollkov & special guest.
Support: Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh/ Raymond MacDonald/Jer Reid/Semay Wu
07-30-09-2021 – ‘Taking Time/Prendendo Tempo’ residency at The Museum of Loss and Renewal, Collemacchia, Italy.
http://themuseumoflossandrenewal.life/
20-02-2021 – Sounds Like Scran: an audio cookbook. Commissioned by CFCCA (Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art) for the IMLD (International Mother Language Day). It will result in an online exhibition in April 2021. On the 20th February, CFCCA will host an online workshop session, where I will be chatting 1-1 with contributors for the cookbook.
Book in advance at: http://cfcca.org.uk/event/sounds-like-scran-listening-sessions/
Submission deadline: Monday 22nd February 2021
For further info and example: http://cfcca.org.uk/opportunities/commissions/
Logo by: Semay Wu
14.10.2020 – 11.01.2021 –
Audiosphere: Sound Experimentation 1980-2020
https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/exhibitions/audiosphere
https://www.museoreinasofia.es/en/publicaciones/audiosphere
By way of a selection of hundreds of sound works, Audiosphere. Sound Experimentation 1980-2020 looks to cover an historical and cultural void in terms of the recognition, exhibition and analysis of a key part of the recent changes that have taken place in the artistic conception of sound creation.
05.10.2020 – I’ve written a short blog post about rediscovering creativity through the lockdown, for Johannna McWeeney – artist – https://johannamcweeney.com/
The link is: https://johannamcweeney.com/blog/semay-wu-rediscovering-creativity-through-lockdown
16.08.2020 – Micro-Commission from Curator Sally Lai – inviting artists to respond to meteorites from the extraordinary personal collection of artist and meteorite collector, Graham Ensor.
https://themeteoriteproject.com
15.05.2020 – POSTPONED “Ferrytones: Stories of the Hinterland”at 20.00 from Liverpool Pierhead.
A.N.D – Abandon Normal Devices Festival (14-17th May) at Birkenhead Docks/Liverpool in collaboration with New Emergences for a special event on the River Mersey.
02-03.2020 – Recordings for JM Lapham. cello.
02-03.2020 – Producing a soundtrack for Lisa Fannen’s poem “Chitty”, to be mastered by Jer Reid end of March.
Musicians/artists involved:
Kiera Coward Deyell (Kiera Dee), Marion Kenny, bell lungs, Luke Sutherland, Semay Wu, Alison Roe, Jer Reid, Diljeet Kaur Bhachu, Letitia Pleiades, Michael Starkey, Saleem Andrew McGroarty and Cucina Povera.
04.03.2020 – Scott Morrison, Elena Inei and I will be playing as a trio (support slot) for Mhenwhar Huws’ album launch.
23.02.2020 – Improvisations with Luke Sutherland:
DanceBase: Edinburgh
02.02.2020 – Improvisations with Luke Sutherland:
DanceBase: Edinburgh
0202.2020 – A huge international project spearheaded by [and brainchild of] Lam Lai, composer and theatre maker.
On the 2nd of February, 02022020.SPACE will present a global Art event with streaming programme up to 26 hours. No matter where you will be on the 02-02-2020, there will be a work/programme by artist(s) released at 20:20 in your timezone. Let’s imagine how the new year firework event works. Each timezone enters the day one by one. When the first timezone enters the day, the first programme will be released at our website at 20:20. 15 minutes after, the second timezone enters the day, the second programme will be released at 20:20……………..until the last timezone on our planet!
The works can take many forms including, live performances, installations, text, recorded works or artworks created in a web-based form, lectures, etc.., which could be streamed on channel or publish on our website.
https://www.facebook.com/02022020dotspace/
28.12.19 – Playing with a large group, at the 100th edition of “Help Me, I’m Melting” – a series by Tony Bevan!! @The Old Hairdressers, Renfield Lane, Glasgow.
“Glasgow is blessed to have this happening every two weeks” Stewart Smith, “The Wire”
The one hundredth edition of Tony Bevan’s acclaimed series “Help Me I’m Melting” takes place at 2pm on Saturday the 28th of December at “The Old Hairdressers”, Renfield Lane, Glasgow. To mark the occasion Bevan will be inviting some of the many performers from far and wide who have played before, in a celebration of this unique venture. No details of who will be performing will be released prior to the event! You’ll just have to be there!
20.12.19 – A collaboration between New Emergences and Impakt, presents “Inclusive Extensions – Shifting Borders by Design”
the first of a series of events – discussion with Amble Skuse, Jacqueline Kool, Marije Baalman, and Simon Dogger as moderator. @hethuis, Utrecht.
https://www.facebook.com/events/396639037918165/
29.11.19 – Poetry evening – three poets and a musician @Bluecoat, Liverpool. 6.30pm.
Jennifer Lee Tsai, Degna Stone, Leonardo Boix and Semay Wu [music accompaniment on cello and electronics]
https://www.thebluecoat.org.uk/events/view/events/4059
22/23.11.19 – New Emergences presents, with iii and Splendor the “Exquisite Corpse – Recomposing the Body”
22nd – @iii, Moerwijk, DH – preview performance at 8pm.
23rd – @Splendor, Amsterdam – premiere performance at 7.30pm.
https://www.facebook.com/events/2303760713085491/
09 – 24.10.19 – R&D + Build project in DH, for the composition “Exquisite Corpse” Premiere [23 November 2019]. It is a graphically scored game composition (composed by myself), with Dan Gibson as co-deviser of / and coder for a drawing instrument made and used in the performance.
29.09.19 – New Emergences presents, with iii: Power Tools, @Den Haag.
http://newemergences.com/2019/08/18/power-tools/
https://www.facebook.com/events/343904162941811/
23 – 26.09.19 – Salomé recording for Matthew Bourne and Glenn Armstrong (Coup D’Archet Label) @ Dollis Hill, London
18.07.19 – World Listening day & Launch of the new ‘New Emergences.com’ website.
10-21.07.19 – Gigging in the EU with Liam Gallagher.
Jul 11 – BBK, Bilbao, Spain
Jul 13 – Trenčín Airport, Trenčín Airport, Slovakia
https://www.pohodafestival.sk/en/
Jul 14 – Atlas Weekend, Kiev, Ukraine
https://atlasweekend.com/en/
Jul 17 – Moon & Stars Festival, Locarno, Switzerland
https://moonandstars.ch/
Jul 18 – Floriana Fosos, Malta
Jul 21 – Radio 1 recording session
04.07.19 – Re: Formation – cello’ing with an assortment of guitars and strings – hosted by Edzell Recordings and NICE N SLEAZY, Glasgow
https://www.facebook.com/events/470452257056146/
29.06.19 – Help Me I’m Melting gig with a quintet ( inc. myself) – Tony Bevan’s concert series @The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow (14.00-17.00)
02.06.19 – Performance at John Cavanagh’s monthly ‘Live Music at the Sharmanka‘ amongst incredibly intricate and occasionally chatty automata at the Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre, 103 Trongate, Glasgow.
https://www.facebook.com/events/294815541427837/
http://www.sharmanka.com/Home/Shows_and_Tickets.html
23.03.19 – New Emergences presents, with Willem Twee Studios, Et#her – a residency, concert/performance & Q+A at FAQ Festival, Den Bosch at 15hr.
Commissioning three composers, Antoine Panaché, Radna Rumping and Marieke van de Ven. Thanking the composer Aurelie Lierman who came in to workshop the studio and the voice with them.
https://www.facebook.com/events/468374327034898/
18.03.19 – music: arrangements, performance, and production, for a 3-minute soundtrack to Sonja van Kerkhoff’s ‘Europa’ film. The original music is Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. Description of film is in the link below.
http://www.sonjavank.com/an-unfinished.htm
05-08.03.19 – New Emergences commissions Bird Bird Touch Touch Sing Sing to develop a work in progress performance piece at WORM, Rotterdam (Tara Transitory and Nguyen Baly).
07.03.19 – ‘Meet the Artists’ open evening. 20-21hr – WORM UBIK space.
08.03.19 – Performance @RE#SISTER/MAMA CASH Feminist Festival – WORM UBIK space.
https://www.facebook.com/events/408494933292201/
02.03.19 – Panel guest on the Body Extended, of Future Interfaces theme- with Impakt’s Augment and Disrupt 3-day festival, Utrecht. With Marije Baalman, to represent New Emergences.
https://www.facebook.com/events/319468448918063/
10.02.19 – Closing solo act @Spike Cello Festival 8/9/10th Feb 2019 @The Workmans Club, Dublin
https://www.spikecellofest.com/
photo credit: Anne Wellmer
03.02.19 – Alabaster dePlume gig @Blue Arrow Club, Glasgow
https://www.facebook.com/events/270505853629747/
17.01.19 – Untried and Tested #1 – Beta performance of residency outcome & Feedback session. @Whitespace Gallery (whitespace76), Edinburgh.
photo credit: Pual Northcott
14 – 17.01.18 – 3-day residency @WhiteSpace Gallery, Edinburgh to include a performance on the 17th (showing the outcomes of the residency)
14.01.19 – GIOdynamics @Sleazys, Glasgow – organised by Jer Reid, and the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra. First improvisation with myself, Juana Adcock, Sebastian Lexer and Jer Reid.
13.01.19 – New Emergences & Ruisburo present Glow in the Dark #2 @Cafe De Ruimte, Amsterdam with Donia Jourabchi, Alselo and Inge Hoonte.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1988898234531875/
12.01.19 – Help Me I’m Melting gig with Tony Bevan, Fritz Welch and myself – a concert series @The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow (14.00-17.00)
13.12.18 – Liam Gallagher @Union Chapel, London.
25.11.18 – A celebration of the life, times and music of Simon King
19/08/1966 – 30/09/2018
hosted by Club Integral/Iklectik, @Iklectik, London
All dayer 15.00 – 23.30
https://www.facebook.com/events/237873013555509/
24.10.18 – New Emergences#14 – New Emergences opens the season 2018/2019 with Unerhörte Frauen! (Unheard Women), an event produced in collaboration with Erwin Roebroeks and Bochumer Symphoniker.
Panel: Patricia Hall (US), Penny Saunders (UK), Ann Cleare (IE)
Moderator: Lisa Blanning (US/DE)
https://newemergences.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/1899484363691719/
17.09.18 – Space is the Place: 13th All Strings Night – De Ruimte, Amsterdam
https://www.facebook.com/events/2218695258149296/
Guitarist Henk Zwerver, bass player Raoul van der Weide and violinist Jacob Plooij present: New Handicaps All Strings Pool. A night of free acoustic string improvisation by top musicians from the Amsterdam improv scene and beyond. Improvising in trios, sextets and tutti – all free, all acoustic.
Players :
Nicolas Chientaroli – piano
Nora Mulder – piano
Michiel Scheen – piano
Jonathan Nagel – bass
Annick Odom – bass
Uldis Vītols – bass
Semay Wu – cello
Raoul van der Weide – cello
George Dumitriu – viola
Maya Felixbrodt – viola
Ig Henneman – viola
Jacob Plooij – violin
Henk Zwerver – guitar
Kristoffer Vejslev Dyssegaard – guitar
Wil Schmal – guitar
Sanem Kalfa – voice/cello
Felicity Provan – voice
Annelie Koning – voice
08.09.18 – Alabaster dePlume gig – Lost Map’s 5th Birthday Party, Edinburgh
07.09.18 – Alabaster dePlume gig – Yorkshire House, Lancaster
08.08.18 –Hear Our Voice Performance @George Square, Glasgow – for Scottish-Asian Creative Artists’ Network with Diljeet Bhachu (flute), Madaleine Pritchard (voice) and Sodhi (tabla).
https://scotasiancreatives.wordpress.com/2018/07/19/hear-our-voice-performance/
14.07.18 – Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival. With Alabaster dePlume
29/30.06.18 – cello recordings with Stephen Hero’s new album material.
20.06.18 – Alabaster de Plume gig @Hug and Pint, Glasgow
31.05.18 – Solo performance with video projections onto LDR screen controller with voice, DIY electronics, and maxMSP programming. @WhiteSpace76, Edinburgh. @Sonically Depicting.
09.05.18 – New Emergences finally becomes a Stichting Foundation in the Netherlands. Our especial Board members are: Anne La Berge, Kristina Anderson, Teana Boston-Mammah and Stephanie Pan.
15.03.18 – 15.04.18 – Self-directed artist (month-long) residency in Hong Kong. Reflective time on previous work, and to propel new project ideas forward.
08.04.18 – New Emergences#13 – Women in Radio. Keynote and panel discussion @REWIRE Festival, DH, NL.
Keynote: Alec Badenoch; and Carolyn Birdsall.
Panel: Natasha Taylor, and moderated by Josephine Bosma.
https://www.facebook.com/events/467839526952084/
25.02.18 – New Emergences#12 – Trans and Noise. Keynote and panel discussion @STEIM, Broedplaats Lely, Amsterdam
keynote and performance: Charles Celeste Hutchins
Panel: Joel Ryan, Johanna Monk, and moderated by Looi van Kessel.
https://www.facebook.com/events/154210188634230/
13.02.18 – 18.02.18 – in residence at the Modern Art Oxford, UK.
A 6-day process-transparent composition in sound, movement and visual (video/live-capture), as a response to Nicolas Party’s Speakers Exhibition. Active audience participation is key to the compositional process, in the form of audio recordings and written notes inspired by the possibility of perceiving human-ness from absence.
During the residency, I will be responding to the above exhibition which is in itself a response to the city’s felt absence of pioneering academic/scientific women of Oxford. I will actively encourage visitors to think about the women that surround them in their daily lives, women who they personally want to celebrate and recognise. Then, to offer to the space these personal stories and observations that will be woven daily into the compositional space as a fabric; the strength of this fabric, and therefore the composition, will be dependent on present participation. I want to see if we can intimately humanise the absence of the other – and further, as a society at large – if we reveal and listen to our – and other’s – own intimate relations, vulnerabilities and complexities.
https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/event/nicolas-party-speakers/
https://www.modernartoxford.org.uk/event/semay-wu-residence/
08.02.18 – New Emergences#11 – Glow in the Dark. First dedicated concert + discussion @Studio Loos, DH.
The #11 edition focuses on listening rather than discussing. In-between the sets we will introduce the artists with short conversations.
Performances by Strict Nurse, G.T.Thomas, and SoundEscape.
https://www.facebook.com/events/781268022058641/
https://newemergences.wordpress.com/category/news/
14.08.17 – 20.12.17 – musician @Theatre Alibi – Apple John
http://www.theatrealibi.co.uk/
20.05.17 – 18.06.17 – musician and composer @20storiesHigh – She’s Leaving Home
http://www.20storieshigh.org.uk/
29.04.17 – solo performance of DIY electronics and video @Intonal Festival – Malmo, Sweden.
29.04.17 – New Emergences#8 – The Other The Self. Keynote and panel discussion @Intonal Festival – malmo, Sweden.
Key: Julia Eckhardt and the Second Sound – Conversations on gender and music. Panel members inc: Suzanne Kirchmayer, Helena Engberg, and Remco Schuurbiers. Moderator: Semay Wu, Fani Konstantinidou.
http://www.intonalfestival.com/semay-wu
http://www.intonalfestival.com/talks-radio-films
https://newemergences.wordpress.com/2017/04/13/event-no-8-the-other-the-self-intonal-2017/
14.04.17 – Solo performance of electronics and video @house gig in Edinburgh, with Barrett’s Dottled Beauty and Mystic Mistake.
01.04.17 – New Emergences#7 – Poetry, Presence and Empowerment. Panel/post-gig discussion @Rewire Festival – Den Haag, Netherlands.
Panel: AGF, Kubra Khademi, Moor Mother. Moderator: Andras Simongati Farquhar, Anne Wellmer.
http://www.rewirefestival.nl/artist/new-emergencestalkhttp://www.rewirefestival.nl/artist/new-emergencestalk
23.03.17 – Solo performance with electronics and video @Peach#10, Total Refreshment Centre, London with Alabaster dePlume and Arun Ghosh.
https://www.facebook.com/events/126948677830672
03.02.17 – New Emergences#6 – Collecting Perspectives. Keynote and Panel Discussion @CTM Festival – Berlin, Germany.
Key: Marije Baalman. Panel: Mariette Groot, myself and Anne Wellmer. Moderator: shared.
https://newemergences.wordpress.com/2017/01/18/event-no-6-ctm-berlin-2017/
15.12.16 – Duo Performance: Improvisations with myself – electronics, and Manuela Luca Tessi: dance. @Ephemere, StudioLoos – Den Haag, Netherlands.
13.12.16 – New Emergences#5 – Breaking the Glass Ceiling. Keynote and Panel Discussion @Splendor – Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Key: Kate Moore. Panel: Henriette Post (FPK), Rozalie Hirs, Joel Ryan. Moderator: Anne La Berge.
https://newemergences.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/event-no-5-breaking-the-glass-ceiling/
10/11.10.16 – Duo Performance: improvisations with myself – electronics, and Vanessa Grasse – movement. @BitchesBrew – Edinburgh/Glasgow.
https://www.evensi.uk/bitches-brew-the-jazz-bar/191476286
24.09.16 – New Emergences#4 – How numbers speak for themselves. Keynote and Panel Discussion @TodaysArt Festival – Den Haag, Netherlands.
Key: Ruth Timmermans (Gonzo). Panel: Florian Cramer, Anne La Berge. Moderator: Mariette Groot.