Event 6 / Ollie Hawker and Zoe Markle

Continuing our late-night series in the cathedral’s atmospheric lower church, we invite you to enter a fragile ecosystem of pulsing tones and coalescing waves. This quietly enchanting performance for double bass and electronics is crafted by Ollie Hawker and Zoe Markle to hold you in breathless quiet.

Unashamedly still, the duo’s music embraces a simplicity and fragility so delicate it feels as if it might vanish on a gust of wind. Within the sanctuary of the lower church, this gossamer soundworld finds a safe harbour. The pair explore unique sonic landscapes full of interference patterns, free improvisation and incredibly subtle electronic manipulations—all rooted in the emotional immediacy of contemporary classical music.

Alongside their own work, Ollie and Zoe present pieces by two composers who share their fascination with understated beauty. Benjamin Portzen’s You, the rain is heartbreakingly tender—a sigh of exhaustion and one of relief, a work for grieving and for laughter, in search of connection and solitude.

This hushed evening closes with a new edition of David Fennessy’s The Room is the Resonator, specially revised for GCF. Fennessy writes of the bassist’s part intertwining with ‘a long, held chord which I recorded on an old harmonium that resides in the garage of my girlfriend's mother in Aberdeen. There's something about that instrument, that garage, that day—there's a stillness in that room, you can hear yourself…’

Due to the layout of the vaulted crypt, some seats will have a restricted view of the performers. Please note the Lower Church is a multi-level space with uneven flooring—if you require assistance or cannot use stairs, please let us know in advance and we will ensure your access needs are supported.

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