Sound of Silence Festival

St George’s Bristol today announces a brand-new festival celebrating all the parts of music that you don’t normally hear. The inaugural Sound of Silence Festival will feature a headline concert of John Cage’s world famous 4’33’’ by a full orchestra, and other incredible events will include the True Silent Disco, The Library Experience, and Silent Rhythm Workshops.

Summing up the idea behind the Festival, Director Simon Art, says “the vision that was planted in my brain [was] 10,000 people, maybe more, people talking without speaking, people hearing without listening, people writing sounds that voices never share.” Head of Sonic Immersion at St George’s, Kathy Song, says of the Festival “we’ve got a groovy thing going. Hopefully we can do this every year.”

St George’s Bristol is also proudly joining the Society of Hushed and Understated Sounds and Harmonics (SHUSH), who have kindly funded the building of our new Anechoic Chamber. This state-of-the-art facility will be used primarily for ultra-accurate sound recording and will officially take over from Bristol Beacon’s Main Hall as the quietest place in Britain. Over the course of the Festival St George’s will host several Auditory Open Days in the chamber, where you and your family can come and hear the sounds of your internal organs. There will be a family ticket option and children’s lunchboxes available for this experience.

The Sound of Silence Festival will go on sale on National Quiet Day, 14 September 2022.

Stay tuned for the full line-up announcement and booking links. If you can’t wait, St George’s Bristol has another festival on sale, the Festival of Voice. Click here to book.