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Student Sara hits the right global notes

Student Sara Ross is aiming for a harmonious future - she was recently selected to attend an international music festival in Mexico.

Sara was selected to attend the Visiones Sonoras, by submitting a piece of her own electroacoustic music. Sara’s composition is now making musical headlines globally, as it was also awarded Best Portuguese Piece at the tenth Electroacoustic Composition Competition Música Viva in Portugal. It has also been selected as part of the programme for a Cuban musical festival.

BA (Hons) Digital Music Creation Sara, 21, is from the Azores in Portugal and a final-year student on the University’s BA (Hons) Digital Music Creation. She is the daughter of musicians, her father Michael plays double bass and tuba in jazz/classical styles and mother Shelley plays violin and viola, mainly in classical.

The Visiones Sonoras festival was first launched five years ago and aims to show, share and discuss musical composition and performance which use new technologies. The most recent festival was held at the University of Mexico’s Cultural Academic Unit, the country’s main sound research centre.

Sara found about the Mexico festival’s awards through one of her lecturers, Sebastian Castagna. Sara said: 'I was really enthused when Sebastian sent me the link to the awards but it was still very much a last-minute decision to take part. I sent my musical piece at 5.00pm the night before.'

The composition was called Paper over Voice by means of a Guitar, and is her first electroacoustic work, focusing on a narrative of three characters - paper, voice and guitar. All sound material was recorded at the University’s sound studio in the Phoenix Building.

Sara added: 'When I received the text at 8.30am one morning saying I had been selected and been granted a stay in Morelia with all-expenses paid for, it was really good news, I was so excited and couldn’t go back to sleep. It meant I could attend the festival and I’d never been to Mexico before, an opportunity I couldn’t miss. My parents were really excited and happy for me as well.

'My trip to Mexico was a wonderful experience. At the festival, I had the opportunity of talking and exchanging thoughts with many of the guest composers that gave conferences during the day. I even ended up sending my piece to another international festival called ‘Spring in Havana’ in Cuba, because a student from there talked me into it. I’ve recently received the news that it was chosen to be part of the festival’s music programme. I’m so happy about it. After I’ve finished my degree I would like to work as a composer, I know it’ll be hard but that’s my ambition.'

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