An immersive work for poetry, piano, silence and spoken word, opening a shared space of deep listening where sound, stillness and presence meet.
Created by our festival patron Cassie Yukawa-McBurney and Simon McBurney, Towards Silence is an evolving work for piano, voice and silence, unfolding as a shared field within a specific space.
Music and spoken word emerge and dissolve into one another, guiding the listener toward a centre of stillness - a place where poetry, sound and presence meet.
Through deep listening and shared attention, the work opens a space in which something quieter, perhaps sacred, might emerge.
In the words of Arvo Pärt: “I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours… this prism could be the spirit of the listener.”
Held at Holy Trinity Church. 1 Trinity Rd, Stroud GL5 2HY.
Towards Silence is an ever‑evolving piece, shaped by the acoustics, architecture and energy of each space - no two performances are ever the same. Drawing on the work of poets performing at the Dobunni Poetry Festival, this event will offer a powerful meditation on how we listen and what listening makes possible within us.
Cassie Yukawa McBurney and Simon McBurney create immersive work across music, theatre and space. Cassie’s practice centres on piano, resonance and the unseen, while Simon, co-founder of Complicité, explores body, voice and imagination. Together, they shape shared environments where sound, silence and story unfold as lived experience.
Cassie Yukawa McBurney is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of listening, ritual, memory and land. Her work is shaped by sensitivity to unseen patterns connecting inner and outer worlds.
Her performances unfold as immersive environments of piano, silence and resonance, inviting shared attention.
She supports initiatives including Stop Ecocide International, reflecting a living field of planetary and more-than-human care.
Simon McBurney is an actor, theatre-maker, director and writer. In 1983, he co-founded Complicité, one of the most innovative, mercurial and influential theatre companies working today. All his, and their, work (in theatre, dance, opera, radio, television, film and on paper) has been made through a deeply researched, and highly collaborative process that crosses boundaries between disciplines and art forms.
Simon lives on the edge of Stroud, in the Slad Valley, with Cassie Yukawa- McBurney and their three children.
“Cassie Yukawa’s mesmerising playing is exceptional.” - International Piano
Simon McBurney is “a visionary theatre-maker whose work expands perception, dissolving the boundary between sound, body and imagination.” - The New York Times
An immersive work for poetry, piano, silence and spoken word, opening a shared space of deep listening where sound, stillness and presence meet.
Created by our festival patron Cassie Yukawa-McBurney and Simon McBurney, Towards Silence is an evolving work for piano, voice and silence, unfolding as a shared field within a specific space.
Music and spoken word emerge and dissolve into one another, guiding the listener toward a centre of stillness - a place where poetry, sound and presence meet.
Through deep listening and shared attention, the work opens a space in which something quieter, perhaps sacred, might emerge.
In the words of Arvo Pärt: “I could compare my music to white light which contains all colours… this prism could be the spirit of the listener.”
Held at Holy Trinity Church. 1 Trinity Rd, Stroud GL5 2HY.
Towards Silence is an ever‑evolving piece, shaped by the acoustics, architecture and energy of each space - no two performances are ever the same. Drawing on the work of poets performing at the Dobunni Poetry Festival, this event will offer a powerful meditation on how we listen and what listening makes possible within us.
Cassie Yukawa McBurney and Simon McBurney create immersive work across music, theatre and space. Cassie’s practice centres on piano, resonance and the unseen, while Simon, co-founder of Complicité, explores body, voice and imagination. Together, they shape shared environments where sound, silence and story unfold as lived experience.
Cassie Yukawa McBurney is a multidisciplinary artist working at the intersection of listening, ritual, memory and land. Her work is shaped by sensitivity to unseen patterns connecting inner and outer worlds.
Her performances unfold as immersive environments of piano, silence and resonance, inviting shared attention.
She supports initiatives including Stop Ecocide International, reflecting a living field of planetary and more-than-human care.
Simon McBurney is an actor, theatre-maker, director and writer. In 1983, he co-founded Complicité, one of the most innovative, mercurial and influential theatre companies working today. All his, and their, work (in theatre, dance, opera, radio, television, film and on paper) has been made through a deeply researched, and highly collaborative process that crosses boundaries between disciplines and art forms.
Simon lives on the edge of Stroud, in the Slad Valley, with Cassie Yukawa- McBurney and their three children.
“Cassie Yukawa’s mesmerising playing is exceptional.” - International Piano
Simon McBurney is “a visionary theatre-maker whose work expands perception, dissolving the boundary between sound, body and imagination.” - The New York Times
