Sonia Killmann is a Glasgow-based saxophonist, electronic musician, and audiovisual artist whose work is shaped by interdisciplinary collaboration and experimental approaches to sound and visuals.
Sonia has performed across the UK and Europe and has recently been nominated for Best Electronic Artist 2022 at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards. Their works are largely inspired by composers such as Pauline Oliveros, Colin Stetson and Alvin Lucier and explore the relationship between sound and environment through audiovisual soundscapes.
Sonia has been collaborating with dancers, theatre makers and visual artists from France, Germany and Belgium after graduating with a master’s in composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where Sonia studied with Dr Linda Buckley. Sonia is now working with supervisor Seán Clancy on a PhD in immersive performance at UCD in Dublin. The composer is exploring the meaning of ‘immersive’ and its potential impact on the mental well-being of an audience through ensemble works and multimedia compositions.
Sonia has worked closely with Cryptic Glasgow as a Cryptic Artist since early 2022. Here, their work ranges from creating ambient electronic music to classical music using acoustic instruments or electroacoustic compositions.
In 2024 Sonia created Umweltraum((a)) with immersive artist Laura Mannelli. The installation was part of Sonica 2024 and is inspired by Jakob von Uexküll’s philosophy of Umwelt. The work depicts a world comprised of various sense-impressions, contrasting mechanical visuals with organic sounds, creating the impression of a live ecosystem.
Over the past three years, Sonia has completed a residency at EMS in Stockholm to implement modular synthesis in their practice and translate their work into spatial audio. In September 2024, they also embarked on a Scottish tour with Vanishing Point as the musician on stage for Imogen Stirling’s Love the Sinner.
Aside from being a solo artist, Sonia is also a versatile composer who flourishes during collaborative processes. Since 2022, Sonia has collaborated on an interdisciplinary level with dancers and theatre makers. In May 2023, they worked with Imogen Stirling and Vanishing Point on their show “Love The Sinner” as the musician on stage. Later, Sonia also composed the music for Imogen’s show “The Boulders We Carry”, which premiered at the Scottish Mental Health Festival in October that same year.
