Sound and Music’s In Motion programme brings together a diverse group of composers, each with a unique voice and vision. This Q&A series offers a glimpse into their creative worlds.
Here, we speak to In Motion 2025 composer Sonia Allori.
How would you describe your creative process?
That’s a really interesting question. I think it depends on the commission and what is being asked for (or the format I’m working in). It’s definitely not a set or fixed thing, but something that evolves from one project to the next. Since losing my hearing, the composing and making is all done in my head these days, as I have to imagine the sounds I want to make. I have a memory bank of remembered sounds to call upon, though, but it gets interesting when working with electronic sound and effects, and sometimes I need to borrow a hearing person to describe the sound to me so I can get it fixed in my mind.
Are there any particular themes, ideas or questions that you find yourself returning to in your work?
I use the combination of words and music a lot. I did a PhD in composition, which explored this, and it’s something I come back to in my work and practice time and time again. I’m also really passionate about inclusion and being able to work with and produce work for folks with different lived experiences. We are all the richer for our differences as well as our shared narratives.
What role does technology or experimentation play in your composition process?
When I lost my hearing, I moved from writing in a contemporary classical style to working with electronic sound and electroacoustic music. It has really shaped how I compose now, as I have a much wider sonic palette to work with, and it has freed up my imagination.
What’s a piece of advice you’ve received that’s stuck with you?
This is another interesting question! A tutor at university once told me to stop composing at the piano, and this was such an important step for me as a composer. It instantly changed the way I wrote music, and I stopped following a lot of the rules I had followed while learning harmony and counterpoint. It undid a lot of my previous musical thinking and opened up my imagination.
Has your background, identity or environment influenced your sound or practice in any particular ways?
Yes! I have an Italian singing dad who provided a very varied soundtrack during my childhood, and there was a lot of opera and Italian music which still permeates my mind to this day! So I’m rooted in classical music and have since deviated to something a bit more experimental and playful (and sometimes a bit odd if I’m being honest!?).Â
How did you first start making music, and what drew you to composition in particular?
I started making music in school, taking clarinet lessons, singing in choirs and writing mostly angst-ridden songs as a teenager hehehe. After I left school, it was obvious that I would take music further and studying composition went hand in hand with being a performer. I’ve always felt the need to write music, and the common thread has always been words and music.
What’s your relationship with improvisation, and how does it shape your work?
When improvising with other musicians, I work with a live captioner who describes the sounds/ music the others are making in a live text transcript, and I respond to this. I suppose that’s quite unusual, isn’t it?! Some of the work I make is rooted in improvisation, and I have made work which evolves from the live captioning transcripts. That’s a new creative process for me, which has been developing during the past few years and started when we were all working online during the pandemic.Â
Can you tell us about your musical influences?
I suppose you could say that they are quite wide-ranging! Everything from opera to Berio, Dallapiccola, Ives, Copland and on to Bjork, PJ Harvey, Tori Amos through 80s electronica and a wee smidgeon of Scottish trad music.Â
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Part of the work I do besides making music is working as a music therapist. You’re still making music with folks, it’s just that the music you make together becomes a tool for empowerment and self-expression.Â
What’s a sound you’ve heard recently that fascinated you?
Imagined sound, the sounds I remember from when I could hear.
If your music had a visual identity or colour palette, what would it be?
It’s all sorts of colours and shades, and it’s kaleidoscopic!Â
What do you hope audiences take away from your work?
I would hope to pique their interest with something new and unique, work that does something unusual or says something in a new way. I like to entertain with rich sounds, sometimes they are beautiful and sometimes less so. If I can inform, that’s good too, and if I can make an audience feel something keenly or laugh, that’s even better!Â
Is there a medium or format you haven’t yet explored but would like to?
I would like to work with longer forms of combining words and music, for example, musical theatre and opera. My fascination with words and music has followed me from school to the present, and I’m excited to be working on a new piece of musical theatre with an interesting twist!Â
What directions or experiments are you excited to explore next?
I’m really interested in continuing to evolve how my access needs are informing my creative process. Currently, I’m working with descriptive creative captioning, and this has taken me on an unexpected creative journey. I’m learning BSL and am keen to bring this into the next work I make.
Are there any communities—online or offline—that have been important to your development as an artist?
Yes, I have been nurtured and supported by Disability Arts organisations who have made it possible for me to develop a career as a composer and performer. Without them, I would not be doing this, and that’s the simple truth.
What does collaboration mean to you, and how do you approach working with others?
Collaboration is wonderful and sometimes challenging, and perhaps you need both of those aspects! It’s exciting and for me, rooted in conversation and understanding of one another. I am finding ways to collaborate more than has been possible in recent years through taking a problem-solving and practical approach to working with access needs. I’ve learned to work more slowly and take time to notice the small things, to observe and to ‘listen’.Â
What are you looking forward to most about In Motion?
I’m looking forward to making new work in an unfamiliar form, which in this case is musical theatre. It’s going to be musical theatre with a twist, though, as some of the cast are deaf or hard of hearing, and we’ll be working in BSL and English and using descriptive live captioning. At this point, it feels like a bit of a puzzle, but I’m hopeful this will all become clearer. The support and guidance provided through In Motion will be incredibly helpful in building my skill set and knowledge of the form, and puzzling it all out!Â
Sound and Music is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL.
In Motion is made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England, Jerwood Developing Artists Fund, The Garrick Charitable Trust, Creative Scotland National Lottery and PRS Foundation.
