Sounding:EUROPE
As part of the SIRIUS4all Berlin event, young (up to 30 years of age) composers, musicians, sound designers residing in Berlin were asked to create a musical piece of max. five minutes on how Europe sounds / how a next Europe could sound.
Three winners of 500€ each and three honorary mentions with 100€ each were awarded by a jury of four renowned music-experts: Ruth McMahon, Melissa Perales, Norman Nodge, Marco Kuhn.
Listen to the compositions below.
Vince Adam
Libre (Title)
Winner, 500€.
My submitted song has the title "Libre", which means “Free” in English. The song has Spanish motives and themes, with a main phrase “Me siento libre” , which can be
translated to “I feel free”. To me, Europe means being free and liberated, in a diverse and multicultural environment.
Other than the Spanish vocal themes, the song has a cinematic drum pattern, with
strings and piano accompanied with soft electric instruments, which gives a light,
somewhat hopeful and a uplifting feel to the song. All of that instrumentation can be
heard in an indie electronic/chill-wave dance music arrangement. This is my
approach to represent Europe in a soundtrack, this is how Europe feels to me in a
musical way.
Alexandre Haudiquet
ONCE (Title)
Winner, 500€.
„You see, in my current situation, never have I been given so much as of today“. A homeless man I met on the streets of Paris said those word to me. I’m still not quite sure what he meant by that but it moved me. We talked about his circumstances, how he ended up living on the street, what kept him going and gave him hope for a better, more promising future. His words can be heard in French at the beginning of my composition.
This exchange resonated with me and inspired me to write a piece about the value of unity,
generosity and solidarity as individualism and isolation seem to be spreading out dangerously in our day and age. The political landscape appears to be characterised by division, and the alarming globalisation of far-rightwing movements leads me to believe that unity and solidarity are fundamental behaviours for the European people. After all, we should focus on what unites us rather than what divides us.
Marc Laurin Schimke
Imaginary Time (Title)
Winner, 500€.
This project explores the evolution of democratic support for the European Union from 1993 to 2024 through sonification. Over time, listeners will hear how Euroscepticism disrupts the harmony of the EU, creating dissonance in its auditory representation.
Golsana Shenasaei
The Sound of Crossing (Title)
Honorary Mention, 100€.
Europe is like music—something we all recognize, yet full of surprises. It doesn’t follow a single path, but its essence is something we can all feel. This is what I wanted to capture in my composition: the feeling of Europe, both familiar and unexpected.
When composing this piece, I wanted it to feel alive. Over five months, I gathered field recordings from Berlin—sounds of trains, conversations, and daily life. These recordings formed the foundation of my work. Alongside them, I used the voice of my cello, which always feels like a storyteller to me.
Mani Shahhoseini
Undying Lights (Title)
Honorary Mention, 100€.
The early 20th century. It was coming. Everyone could feel it. Europe stood on the brink of
transformation—an era of upheaval and rebirth. War was inevitable. Black, massive, unbroken clouds loomed over the skies, and rivers of blood and gunpowder carved their paths through the land. The continent itself seemed alive, a breathing entity caught between agony and reinvention—a smoldering battlefield and a cradle of civilization.
Yet, amidst the ruin, life always persisted. The voices of the past intertwined with the present—whispers of ambition, conflict, and longing. Dreams were born and shattered in the same breath. This was Europe—where history never stood still, where the past was not merely remembered but relived in cycles of destruction and renewal.
Zeki Anton Cavkeitar
The Awakening (Title)
Honorary Mention, 100€.
I am 15 years old; I have been composing with "Muse Score" for about 3 years now. I have always been passionate about music, but my preference has always been film music.
For me, Europe is not just a geographical area, but a continent that is full of challenges,
contradictions and changes. There are moments of hope, but also times of conflict and
doubt. This is exactly what I wanted to express in my music. My composition is entitled
“The Awaking” and attempts to capture the political and social situation in Europe in
music. It is about the changes that Europe is undergoing, but also about the tensions
and conflicts that arise time and again between the different countries and cultures.