Niamh Friel is a sound practitioner and music journalist based in Glasgow whose lifelong love of nature has informed her audio works. Drawing from concepts like Pauline Oliveros’s “Deep Listening” or R.Murray Shafer’s work in Acoustic Ecology, and a personal interest in live-action sound, these works set out to remind us of our sonic environments. What do we hear when we do not see?

In recent years, Niamh was a member of several youth panels including SMHAF 2017/18 Year of the Young People, RSNO Youth Advisory Board 2020/21 and Moira Anderson’s Children and Young People Pannel 2020 as well as participating in the RSNO digital takeover “Going Places” 2020 and Moira Anderson Foundation’s animated film that helped raise awareness of their organization.

With an HND in Sound Production from Riverside Music College, she developed the technical skills and workflows in live and studio recording, post-production audio and multimedia that provided a foundation for more experimental work. Seeking more creative freedom, the Sound for Moving Image course encouraged her to explore a multi-disciplinary approach and combine interests like nature, storytelling, well-being and meditation using sound as a medium to tie them all together.

Over the last year, Niamh’s works have been mainly audio-only, focusing on immersive storytelling and wellness. Niamh has produced a collection of immersive soundscapes using techniques such as Binaural mixing and “Point-of-Audition” placing the listener in alternate environments like enchanted forests or imagined futures.

Looking ahead, Niamh is keen to collaborate with other practitioners in their field.