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On 21 September, the Record Room in Limerick will host the screening of a unique collaboration between voice artist Ruth Wieder Magan, pianist Maja Elliott, and multidisciplinary artist Avia Gurman. The project was recorded at Hapé Sound, an acoustic recording studio in Galway, and combines experimental vocal improvisation with live piano and visual artistry.

Ruth is the most versatile voice artist I have ever met. When she came to the studio, she recorded several takes of vocal improvisation — everything from whispers to overtone singing and other sounds I had never captured before.

The Piano Connection

I had a hunch that Ruth would connect with one of Maja Elliott’s last piano pieces, so I played it for her. Ruth immediately loved it. We reached out to Maja for permission to use the piece.

A Surprising Fusion

A few days later, Ruth returned to the studio. She wanted to layer the takes from the previous session together with Maja’s piano piece. I didn’t think it was going to work, since she hadn’t sung while hearing the piano—she had only listened to it once. But I was in for a surprise: not only did her different vocal takes blend beautifully with one another, the piano part fit as if they had rehearsed it together from the start. The moment the two elements clicked was something I will never forget.

Visual Collaboration with Avia Gurman

The final stage of the project was the creation of the video, crafted by Ruth in collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Avia Gurman.

It was a very special project, and a joy to work on.

The mixing was a collaboration: I added effects, processed the individual tracks and instrument groups, and then sent it to Orla. She integrated the tracks into a final mix, meticulously riding the faders. She did a wonderful job, and I can’t wait to hear the mastered result.

The project began by recording Orla singing live with the harpist Úna Ní Fhlannagáin. Afterwards, musicians from Galway and Clare recorded bodhrán, fiddle, and piano in separate sessions

@hapesound

Orla Haugh and Una working on classic old Irish tracks Gort HapeSound Hapesoundrecording Galway Loughrea WestofIreland Ireland Recordingstudio musicians IrishFolk IrishTrad EasyListening harp

♬ original sound – Hapé Sound – Hapé Sound

Top photo description: Seán O’Dálaigh playing the fiddle

For most of the tracks, we had Ophelia singing in the control room, Rory with the fiddle in the piano room, and the rest of the band (drums, bass, two electric guitars) in the live room. For some tracks the singer was in the live room with the band. 

 The legendary Úna with her custom-made harp recording an album with original tracks, live at St. Nicholas Cathedral in Galway.
Two evenings, two consecutive gigs each night. Can’t wait for the video. Here are Harry and Úna at St. Nicholas Cathedral, preparing for the gig.

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My favorite question is “Can we record live?” If you are comfortable playing live, recording live gets the vibe best.
Here is a little peek at Conor Foley from Loughrea playing at the studio.

Title image taken when we stopped on the way to record Rev. Nóirín Ní Riain

This is a preview from a video artwork by Avia Gurman. For the soundtrack, we traveled to the home of Rev. Nóirín Ní Riain near Limerick to record her, and then continued in the studio, capturing additional vocals from Avia and Snail as well as Snail performing on multiple flutes. The project was exhibited at Limerick’s Museum of Modern Art and will be shown at other venues soon.

Top photo description: A bench by the lake. Taken when we stopped on the way to Rev. Nóirín Ní Riain