music

releases

Submergence (composer Jan Foote). Listen on bandcamp.

Whale, Bow, Echo (with Sequoia). Released on ‘WATER MUSIC source to sea‘ as second part of ‘Echoes’. Listen on YouTube.

Entanglement (with Katherine Wren). Released on ‘Remembrance Species 2020’ on bandcamp.

selected recordings

CETACEA (with Katherine Wren). Video made for GIOfest XIII on YouTube

Underwater Rain (Farehau Humpback 26.10.2019) (SoundCloud)

The Path of the Unseen Whale (SoundCloud)

(im)possible gestures. Live performance at ‘Phillip Island Whale Festival 2019’ with Scottish Clarinet Quartet and festival jazz quartet (Vimeo)

works

2023

Nothing Like Melody, for Bass Clarinet and Electronics.

Shadow Gestures, for Clarinet and Electronics.

2022

Submergence (composer Jan Foote, realization of live clarinet part by Alex South), for Clarinet and Fixed Media.

Velella, velella (poetry film). Words Rebecca Sharp, visuals Steve Smart. I composed and recorded the score. Official selection for Fotogenia International Festival of Filmpoetry 2022, Mexico City. Exhibited in the City Art Centre (Edinburgh) for the Scottish Arts Trust Scottish Landscape Awards 4 November 2023 – 24 March 2024.

2021

Whale, Bow, Echo (with Sequoia), for Violin, Cello and Fixed Media. Humpback Song recorded off Mo’orea, 25.09.2019, courtesy of Ellen Garland (University of St Andrews) and Michael Poole (Marine Mammal Research Programme, Mo’orea, French Polynesia). Performed here by Sequoia.

In the black holes of the ocean (in collaboration with violist Katherine Wren, after Lesley Harrison’s poem ‘Whale Song’), for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Viola, Electronics.

2020

Entanglement (in collaboration with violist Katherine Wren), for Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Viola, Electronics. Based on the rhythmic structure of a humpback whale song, recorded French Polynesia 26.10.2019.

https://remembrancespecies.bandcamp.com/track/alex-south-katherine-wren-entanglement

CETACEA (in collaboration with violist Katherine Wren, after Lesley Harrison’s poem of the same name), for Clarinet, Viola, Electronics, performed here with Katherine Wren (viola). Pilot whale recording supplied by Michael Scheer (listen to more at www.pilot-whales.org).

Underwater Rain (Farehau Humpback 26.10.2019). Using a recording of humpback whale song made in French Polynesia as part of fieldwork led by Ellen Garland (University of St Andrews), with the assistance of M. Michael Poole (Marine Mammal Research Programme, Moorea, French Polynesia).

Trawl, video installation, in collaboration with poet Matthew Caley and artist Steve Smart

2019

Air Out Of The Night, for soloist and large improvising ensemble,  incorporating field recordings of humpback song made by Edda Magnúsdóttir and colleagues in the North Atlantic. This extract is from a live performance at the StAge, St Andrews (UK), 13 November 2019, with Emma Roche, Anne Rankin, Paul Stone and members of St Andrews Chamber Orchestra.

(im)possible gestures, for clarinet quartet

The Path of the Unseen Whale, for solo bass clarinet and electronics

performances

30.09.2023 Shadow Gestures, The Path of The Unseen Whale, Nothing Like Melody, Platform Poetry at The Larick Centre (Tayport).

22.09.2023 In the black holes of the ocean, Voyage of the Fox, CETACEA (with Katherine Wren, Lesley Harrison) at WayWORD Festival, King’s Pavilion (Aberdeen).

01.09.2023 Submergence (composer Jan Foote, realization of live clarinet part by Alex South) at New Music Scotland Conference, CCA (Glasgow).

27.08.2023 Submergence (composer Jan Foote, realization of live clarinet part by Alex South), Shadow Gestures, The Path of The Unseen Whale, Nothing Like Melody, Music in Museums, Wardlaw Museum (St Andrews).

08.06.2023 Whale, Bow, Echo (performed by Sequoia), Sea Scotland Conference, Edinburgh Climate Change Institute.

25.05.2022 Submergence (composer Jan Foote, realization of live clarinet part by Alex South) at Human Threads, Tramway (Glasgow).

07.11.2021-13.11.2021 Whale, Bow, Echo (performed by Sequoia), Govan & Linthouse Parish Church, University of Glasgow, Music at St Cyprian’s (Lenzie).

21.10.2021 In the black holes of the ocean, CETACEA (with Katherine Wren), From the Coast (composer Oliver Searle), Sound Festival, The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen.

08.08.2021 In the black holes of the ocean, Voyage of the Fox (with Katherine Wren, Lesley Harrison), Arbroath 2020+1.

26.11.2020 CETACEA (with Katherine Wren), GIOfest XIII, online.

08.12.2019 The Path of the Unseen Whale, World Marine Mammal Conference, Pre-conference workshop ‘Communicating Marine Mammal Science to the General Public: Art as a Tool for Communication’, Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona (Spain).

29.11.2019 Air Out Of The Night (with Emma Roche and members of Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra), GIOfest XII, CCA, Glasgow.

21.11.2019 The Path of the Unseen Whale, RCS/St Andrews Interdisciplinary Mini-Symposium, University of St Andrews.

13.11.2019 Air Out Of The Night (with Emma Roche, Anne Rankin, Paul Stone and members of St Andrews Chamber Orchestra), Fringe of Gold, The STAge, University of St Andrews.

18.08.2019 The Path of the Unseen Whale , Wonderful Whales!, Discovery Point, Dundee.

06.07.2019 (im)possible gestures (with Scottish Clarinet Quartet and improvised response from Anthony ‘ToK’ Norris, Steve Sedergreen, Michael Jordan and Uncle Ron Murray), 2019 Phillip Island Whale Festival, Victoria (Australia).

23.05.2019 The Path of the Unseen Whale, Animal Voices, Bell Pettigrew Museum, University of St Andrews.

15.05.2019 (im)possible gestures (with Scottish Clarinet Quartet), Cadogan Sessions, Enterprise Music Scotland, Glasgow.