Creative Workshop with Mara Simpson

About the session

This is a practical creative workshop especially aimed at any perfectionist creatives/musicians. We'll be looking at ways in which breaking out of the thing you think you 'should' be doing can give creative freedom and playing around with the idea of intentionally getting things wrong. For this workshop, please bring along an idea or track that you're currently struggling to finish, OR be ready and open to starting something brand new.

About Mara

Mara is a multi-instrumentalist, performing artist, producer and composer. Her work seamlessly blends electronic and acoustic instruments, exploring tape machines, analogue synths and field recordings. Her latest album 'Living Matter' has become a 6Music favourite, been performed live across stages, and designed into an immersive spatial sound installation (Hidden Notes Festival 2025).

Mara has collaborated with Hidden Orchestra & Cerys Matthews, Poppy Ackroyd, Her Ensemble and Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres. Her genre-defying musical works include bespoke compositions for the AppleTV+ series SILO, Super Nature and the full score for magical-realist film Blue Hour.

With a setup consisting of tape machines, analogue synths, drums, piano and strings, Mara’s live show draws together the signature electronic and acoustic worlds Simpson has become known for in her cross-arts compositions. Marahas performed over 300 shows including Fusion Festival (Germany), Hidden Notes Festival (UK), Smugglers Festival (UK) and venues including the Barbican, Norwich Arts Centre and Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts. Mara has been a guest presenter on BBC Radio 6Music, Refuge Worldwide and Flux FM (DE). Mara’s dynamic live show features band members Imogen Mason (Voka Gentle/Sm^sher), Jools Owen (Samana) and Rob Pemberton (The Staves/Unicorn Ship Explosion/Rachael Dadd).