Decontamination #16 Contralto at RNCM

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Decontamination #16 Contralto

22 March 2019

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

RNCM
Book now

For the latest in the RNCM’s Decontamination series, its programmed Sarah Hennies’ Contralto – an hour-long work for video, strings and percussion. The project utilises the sound of transgender women’s voices in order to explore transfeminine identity, examining the intimate and peculiar relationship between gender and sound. Existing in a space between experimental music and documentary, the project receives its Manchester premiere at the RNCM.

Based in Ithaca, New York, Sarah Hennies is a boundary-smashing composer. Her work is concerned with a variety of musical, sociopolitical and psychological issues including queer and trans identity, love, intimacy, psychoacoustics and percussion. Primarily a composer of solo and chamber works, she’s also active in improvisation, film, performance art and dance.

First premiered in 2017, Contralto looks at the impact of the voice on gender dysphoria among trans women. Unlike trans men, whose hormone therapy causes their voices to drop in pitch, trans women’s voices remain unchanged by the process. Contralto – which defined in musical terms means ‘the lowest female singing voice’ – shines a light on the resultant difficulties faced by trans women who feel their voice doesn’t match their gender.

https://vimeo.com/240092525

The film uses aspects of ‘voice feminisation therapy’ as artistic material. It features a cast of trans women speaking, singing and performing vocal exercises which are sometimes used to help modify a perceived male-sounding voice into a perceived female-sounding voice. The showcasing of transfemale voices in such a beautiful way has generated a wave of critical praise, and has had an affirming impact on many trans women.

The cast of Contralto will be accompanied by a dense and varied live score for string quartet and three percussionists. They will explore a variety of conventional and nonconventional approaches to sound-making, and interact with the film in real time. It promises to be a thought-provoking screening/performance, and one that just might change how you categorise a ‘feminine’ voice.

Where to go near Decontamination #16 Contralto at RNCM

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo is a sun trap on St Peter’s Square, serving up traditional Italian food at its best

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

What's on: Cinema

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95
CinemaManchester
YANK at Cultplex

Thirteen movies to get to know the United States of America. Cultplex presents a season of film exploring America through its own lens.

From £7.50
Grease outdoor cinema
Cinema
Outdoor Cinema at Tatton Park

There’s movies under the stars again at Tatton Park this summer as the open air cinema returns for the August Bank Holiday Weekend.

From £14.99

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

Harry Baker
Literature Events in the North

From environmental to experimental, our poetry and prose picks from around the North are focused on the unusual and the fun.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

A young boy with a white sash around his left arm cries.
Cinema in the North

Outdoor cinema announcements, a major retrospective at HOME, and the best of indie cinema.