Mare Nostrum
Aileen Sweeney
This piece was written in collaboration with writer Martin Raymond as part of Refugee Week held at Stirling University. Displayed at the university is "The List" which traces information relating to the deaths of 34, 361 refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented migrants who have lost their lives within, or on the borders of Europe since 1993.
Mare Nostrum, 'Our sea' in Latin was the Roman name for the Mediterranean. It is also the name of the Italian governments year-long operation in 2013 in response to unprecedented losses of refugee ships around the island of Lampedusa.
The number, 34, 361, has been inscribed into the piece within the time signatures as a stark reminder of the vast and ever growing number of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants who have lost their lives.
Instrumentation Genre Ensemble (no conductor)
Tag quartet
Duration 6 minutes
Instrumentation
Performances of this work
| Date | Venue | Performer | Link |
Upcoming events
- 22 Oct 2026, 18:00
[Neil Smith: Try Try Try (soundfestival 2026)] - 28 Oct 2026, 18:00
[Composing for Media - NMS Peer to Peer session 3] - 29 Oct 2026, 19:30
[BBC SSO: Enrico Chapela's 'Antiphaser' (Concerto for electric violin and orchestera)] - 30 Oct 2026, 18:00
[James Weeks: weatherworld quartets (soundfestival 2026)] - 31 Oct 2026, 18:00
[Mimi Doulton (soprano): No Man is an Island (soundfestival 2026)]
Recent updates
Works
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- Les Mélodies Nutritives, by Julien Lonchamp
- Sòlás Collective - Improvised, by Tom Macfadyen
Events
- Late Night soundsession: Tom Macfadyen
- Composing for Media - NMS Peer to Peer session 3
- Neil Smith: Try Try Try (soundfestival 2026)
Projects
- Pete Stollery conducts Joe Stollery premiere
- Aides... mémoires... Project album launch
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- Red Note Factory Weekend – 17 & 18 October 2026
- Noisy Nights – Call for Scores
- Nordic Music Days 2027: Call for Works