about
a noisy silence exists to help us listen more carefully to the world and to ourselves. We use sound as a vehicle for supporting wellbeing, building community and caring for our environment.
a bit about us...
a noisy silence was created in 2013 and has grown to draw on the skills and expertise of a team of creatives. Together, our aim is to tap into people’s natural curiosity, affinity and love of sound to support wellbeing, build community and care for the environment. We love connecting with like-minded people and organisations who are interested in exploring how listening, sound and music can enhance their work. We build friendships rather than networks and love working with those who are passionate about what they do and the positive impact that has on the lives of others. The vast majority of our project partners are not-for-profit and public sector organisations such as...
team
Richard Bentley (Sound Artist)
Creatively combining sound, music and contemplative practices, Richard's aspiration is to support personal and community development through listening. Richard has a PhD in Sound Art following a Masters Degree in Community Arts at Goldsmith's University of London. He works with the NHS developing arts and contemplative care initiatives for patients and staff. Richard is a qualified lecturer (Cert. Ed. & FHEA) with over twenty years teaching experience and is currently training in mindfulness facilitation at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.
Nino Auricchio (Musician and Producer)
Nino has worked for Sony Music, BMG and numerous dance and soul labels. Nino has had success as part of the funk act Funkshone, releasing records globally through Skyline Records, P-Vine in Japan with work remixed by Kenny Dope Gonzalez. Nino composes library music and has work licensed by Red Bull for the World BBoy Championships and the US film, Growing Reason. Nino is a senior lecturer in sound engineering at the University of West London and is undertaking a PhD in electronic music composition.
Daniel Rothberger (Sound Designer and Music Producer)
Daniel is a Music Producer, Sound Designer and Composer, and has had work featured on radio stations such as BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 4. Daniel is responsible for many commercial releases, which have been supported by influential DJ’s such as DJ EZ, the late Paul “Trouble” Anderson and Maya Jane Coles. Having been a part of the minimal deep/tech house scene for many years under the alias “Rotty”, Daniel has branched out into the world of sound art, incorporating “found sound” into his compositions which influences his approach to sound design.
Aundre Goddard (Theatre Maker)
Aundre is a theatre maker, educator and creative practitioner. He holds a master’s degree in Performance Practices from De Montfort University and believes the most interesting things happen in between spaces. He is currently the Creative Director of Berzerk Productions, a drama company that has been supporting young people in Reading and South Oxfordshire since 1994. His goal is to create the next generation of creatives and open young people up to the weird and wonderful world of performance.
Nisha Anil (Theatre-Maker and Presenter)
Nisha's career ranges in live Performance, Theatre, Visual art, Film and T.V; having worked as an Actress, Arts Manager, Storyteller, Workshop Facilitator, Artist Mentor and as a Children’s T.V. Presenter for CBeebies Worldwide Asia and the UK. She has also worked in various creative capacities in her local town; within the regional arts community for Slough Museum, The Curve, Resource Productions, Creative Junction, Home Slough, 101 Arts Creation Space in Newbury, Third Angel in Sheffield, Beautiful Creatures Theatre and the MERL in Reading.
Sam Proctor (Mastering and Music Production)
Sam has had a varied career as a sound engineer, musician and educator which has lead to the formation of his audio mastering studio, Lismore Mastering where he undertakes mastering work alongside mixing and audio production. He continues to be passionate about music education after leaving his role as Senior Lecturer in Music Technology at University of West London where he taught for over a decade and has recently begun teaching at University of Huddersfield.
Abbie Hill (Sound Recording and Production)
Abbie is a Music Producer, Composer, Live Sound Engineer, and Music Mentor. Having earned a First BA (Hons) in Music Production, Abbie has collaborated with numerous musical artists handling production, mixing, and mastering for a diverse range of EPs and singles, both independently and under the Riser Record Label. For the past three years, Abbie has been dedicated to supporting young people in Reading through her work at Readipop Music Charity, conducting 1:1 Music Mentoring sessions, multiple weekly youth clubs, and school workshops.
Matthew Foster (Musician)
Matt is a musician, educator and music producer who has been working in the south of England for over 20 years. He is Head of Academy for local music charity The Rock Academy Foundation and regularly works with young people on creative sound-based projects. Matt studied popular music at Bretton Hall College and, following a move to Berkshire, he taught music and music technology at Reading College for 14 years. He continues to teach at Newbury College alongside his work with The Rock Academy and Readipop and his national performance and recording work with Ma Bessie and her Pig Foot band.
Collaborators
Natalie Ganpatsingh (Director Nature Nurture CIC)
Natalie believes that connecting people with the wild spaces within our towns and cities is crucial to building strong, happy, healthy communities who care about each other and the environment. Her award-winning social enterprise, Nature Nurture CIC collaborates with the conservation, heritage, health and education sectors to achieve positive outcomes for people and the planet. She also works as ‘Nature Lead’ for Dr. William Bird’s company, Intelligent Health, helping to re-wild communities across the UK.
Liz is the founder of not for profit Silent Space - a project encouraging beautiful parks and gardens open to the public to reserve an area for silent visiting. Taking time out to stroll quietly or to sit and reflect, we can engage more deeply with the sights and sounds of nature. At the same time and in a very gentle way, we also engage with ourselves. Liz is a freelance garden writer and historian, writing on all aspects of gardens but with a particular interest in their relationship to health.
values
Our values are not an afterthought, knocked-out in an away-day, but are the ground from which a noisy silence has grown and continue to underpin our work. Our core values are…
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Care-full Presence - that we are present, open and authentic in our interactions, bringing care-full attention to ourselves as the foundation of caring for others.
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Community - that we are deeply interconnected and that our wellbeing relies on the strength of our connections with others and our environment.
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Simplicity - that we find ways to live more simply so that others can simply live.
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Equity - that there is an acknowledgement of personal, social and environmental injustice and a strong desire to move towards a more equitable society.
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Creativity - that creativity keeps us adaptable, open to alternative ways of hearing the world and new possibilities in our work.
