Listening Beyond the Score: Sound Design as Music

Presenter: Dr Kingsley Spargo

Title: Listening Beyond the Score: Sound Design as Music

Abstract: This session by composer and sound designer Kingsley Spargo that repositions sound design as a musical medium in its own right — expressive, political, cultural, and evocative. Drawing on film, theatre, and experimental practice, with examples from his own work including the recent play Woman Far Walking and theatre and film versions of The Haka Party Incident, Kingsley invites audiences into a deeper way of listening that moves beyond melody and harmony toward atmosphere, and cultural resonance. The lecture traces the evolution of sound design alongside — and often in tension with — Western ideas of music, asking when sound becomes music, who is recognised as a composer, and how political, Indigenous, and site‑specific contexts shape sound practice.

Date:

This World of Music Workshop will run on Wednesday 18th November from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and include a tea / coffee break.

Venue:

We're pleased to be hosting this workshop at Symphonia Hall, an intimate performance venue in the heart of Auckland. With its exceptional acoustics and welcoming atmosphere, it provides a wonderful setting for music, creativity and shared learning.