Feminist, diverse and cross-genre: since 2014, the Heroines of Sound festival has been creating space for pioneering figures in electronic music—both past and present—who are exploring new musical territory and making significant contributions to contemporary aesthetic discourse.
Featuring new works by FLINTA* musicians and producers
The thirteenth edition of the festival focuses on the Asian diaspora, especially the Japanese. It features new works by FLINTA* musicians and producers. Musicians such as Miako Klein, Kyoka, Radio Hito, and Tomoko Sauvage are included. Using her self-built instruments–a combination of water, ceramics, and electronics–Tomoko Sauvage animates inanimate objects. She makes barely perceptible sounds audible. Composer and musician Midori Hirano will premiere her work OTONOMA from the new solo album of the same name for synthesizer and piano.
To mark her 70th birthday, there will be a tribute to the outstanding composer Iris ter Schiphorst. She has been closely associated with the festival since its inception. Ensemble mosaik will perform a portrait concert. It will be led by renowned conductor Catherine Larsen-Maguire and feature soprano Anna Clementi.
The festival will kick off with a live electronic set by Japanese sound artist Kyoka, followed by the opening concert of the acclaimed Polish ensemble Spółdzielnia Muzyczna, which will perform new works by female composers Żaneta Rydzewska, Barbara Zach, Eloain Lovis Hübner and Nina Fukuoka.
The Grand Finale
A powerful final highlight, the German premiere of Leah Muir’s Em-Body-Ment, unfolds as an immersive interplay of voice, performance, video and live electronics with soprano and podcaster Irene Kurka.
Complementing the concert programme, Anouk Kellner’s installation Airchoir No. 2: Dirges for (26) Coded Organ Voices invites audiences into a polyphonic, algorithmically generated sound organism, where organ pipes become breathing voices and the architectural space itself turns into a resonant body.
About Heroines of Sound:
Diverse and genre-spanning, the Heroines of Sound Festival has strengthened the visibility of FLINTA* artists in music and the arts since its first edition in 2014, while fostering connections across genres and generations. The Berlin scene initiated the Heroines of Sound Festival in 2013 with a feminist agenda. Bettina Wackernagel and a collective of artists led this initiative. The festival highlights pioneers of electronic sound. It also provides an important impetus with current works ranging from contemporary art music to performance, sound art, and avant-garde pop.
FESTIVAL HEROINES OF SOUND 2026
Concerts / Performances / Panel discussions / Sound art / Workshops
09. – 11.07.2026 | Radialsystem, Berlin
https://heroines-of-sound.com
Line-up:
Anna Clementi, Marie Delprat, Nina Fukuoka, Midori Hirano, Radio Hito, Eloain Lovis, Hübner, Anouk Kellner, Miako Klein & Yia Lim, Yoko Konishi, Irene Kurka, Kyoka, Catherine Larsen-Maguire, ensemble mosaik, Leah Muir, Żaneta Rydzewska, Tomoko Sauvage, Iris ter Schiphorst, Ensemble Spółdzielnia Muzyczna, Miki Yui, Barbara Zach
World Premieres:
Midori Hirano – OTONOMA (WP 40´)
Electronics (Modular & Keyboard Synthesizer), Piano
Yoko Konishi – Motus Umbra, Ensemble und Electronics (WP)
Kyoka – Motion Scapes (WP 40´) Live Electronics Set, OSC
Marie Delprat – What Remains After Desire“ (2026, WP)
German Premiere / European Premiere:
Eloain Lovis Hübner – crunch modes 3.0 (13′) (2025) GP
Leah Muir (DE) – Em-Body-Ment (2025), GP 50´
Iris ter Schiphorst: “Transformationen III“ (2022/2026, New Version)
loosely based on the poem “Diepe tijd“ (“Tiefenzeit“) by Dominique de Groen
Iris ter Schiphorst: “Anna’s Song“ (1993/2026)
For complete programm please see:
https://www.instagram.com/heroines_of_sound/
https://www.facebook.com/HeroinesOfSound/
Artistic Direction: Bettina Wackernagel
Co-Curators: Helen Heß, Midori Hirano, Sabine Sanio
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