Aileen Sweeney is a Scottish composer and accordionist born and bred in Glasgow. Her music is rooted in the traditional folk music she grew up with and is often influenced by her interests in cosmology, nature and folklore, alongside an admiration for many different genres of music. As well as composing, Aileen co-founded the folk-fusion band Eriska, co-hosts the award-winning podcast Ear to the Ground and teaches at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's Junior Academy. You can read more about Aileen and her music on our website here.

Aileen's piano trio Equinox will form part of a concert performed by Ensemble 360 celebrating 20 years of Music in the Round, alongside Schubert’s Octet and Huw Watkins’ Broken Consort, which was also written for the ensemble. 

Aileen says: 'Coming off the back of a four-month stint writing a slightly mad piece for symphony orchestra filled with drum grooves, riffs and polyrhythms galore, I jumped straight into this piano trio without really catching my breath. Having spent time listening to and being inspired by the simplicity of composers such as Max Richter and Philip Glass, I took this piece as an opportunity to relax into some meditative sounds and explore repetitive textures, mainly through improvisation at the piano. 

Coincidentally, I was writing this piece in February and March, during the approach to the Spring equinox, and couldn’t help but notice the evening skies gradually becoming brighter and more colourful with each passing day. I then began to see how the piece mirrored this transition from dark to light, starting with cold, slow moving harmonies that gradually blossom into brighter tonal centres and faster moving material, giving the piece a sense of optimism towards the end.'

​Aileen is one of seven individuals we supported on the 2024 RPS Composers programme, giving each a commission and premiere with a noted ensemble, festival or venue, as well as a year of professional development which gives them the chance to meet industry experts and professional composers, furthering their confidence and skills to seek further commissions and premieres of their own. The RPS Composers programme is made possible by a range of trusts and foundations, and through the kind support of RPS Members.

You can find out more about RPS Membership and how you can help us support talented musicians like Aileen here.

Aileen is writing for Music in the Round, with Equinox to be played by Ensemble 360 in the launch concert of Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2025. Click the button below to visit Music in the Round's website for more information and tickets.