To celebrate the selection of this year’s New Voices cohort, we caught up with all the selected artists and composers for a quick chat.

Here, we speak to New Voices 2020 composer Cassandra Gurling.

Can you tell us about your musical influences?

I am influenced by music that moves and excites me. Music that plays with a spectrum of feelings and moods; I enjoy being made to feel shocked and uncomfortable just as much as I enjoy to be soothed. For me, Drama and discord hold the same value as beauty and serenity.So my influences are not bound by genre or periods within history, but share a commonality of ‘play’ and exploring the spectrum of human emotion.

I love classical composers from Bach, to Samuel-Coleridge Taylor to Philip Stopford. I love boundary pushing Electronic musicians and artists including; Aphex Twin, Matmos, Bjork, Arca and Sevdaliza.

As a writer of music and artist I am influenced by the creative practice of composer/producers such as David Axelrod, who’s work and adaptive approach to genre and production has heavily influenced my creative vision.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am recording a new AGAMA album, which is more rooted within electronic production.
I am also working on my first film soundtrack and organizing my catalogue of works which consists of pop music and classical choral/ vocal compositions

What are you looking forward to most about New Voices?