To celebrate the winners of this year’s Seed Award, we caught up with all the selected artists and composers for a quick chat.

Here, we speak to Heloise Tunstall-Behrens. Heloise is a composer, singer, performer and installation artist, working in the field between vocal and instrumental music, electronics and performance. She writes for ensembles and soloists, creating works which investigate timbre and the relationship between sound and natural dynamics found in ecosystems.

Can you tell us about your musical influences?

String chamber music – exposure from a child through going to International Musicians Seminar in Cornwall. Pop music – lyrical ensemble work – through being in bands such as Lulu and the Lampshades, Landshapes, Lunch, Deep Throat Choir, Blood Moon Project. Music from around the world – general interest in rhythms, textures, harmonies from different cultures.

Electronic music – computer generated sounds – techno, gabba, PC music, plus modular synth music

Opera – new and exciting approaches to the operatic form e.g. Birtwistle, Ades.

What are you working on at the moment?

A piece for a vocal ensemble I am in – for 8 voices (4 female, 4 male). Using the text from ‘A poem for the wind’ by Taliesin, I am attempting to explore wind textures.