A History of the Voice

Brussels vocal collective HYOID Ensemble mark their hcmf// debut with a test of endurance and will from the ever uncompromising Jennifer Walshe. A composer known for her immensely visceral work, Walshe’s new piece interrogates the voice, considering the limitations and expectations that come with opening our mouths. A piece of musical anthropology, A History of the Voice gets close up with the norms of pop music, the politics of broadcasting, the appropriation of accents and the people inside our phones – all the while using HYOID as an experiment in the potential reaches of the human instrument.