Bela (B) is a versatile sonic artist with lived experience of neurodivergence. Since 2003, B’s made improvised and responsive music on acoustic cello, electric cello with effects pedals, voice and environmental sounds. This work has taken them on tours of North America, Europe and the UK, to festivals including Glastonbury; B’s also been commissioned as a solo artist by BBC Radio 3 and had four solo releases.

In 2023 Bela was selected for a prestigious 12-month Arts Council England-funded Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) award, focusing on creative sustainability and explored through movement, embodiment, listening, and sound, with Contact Improvisation (CI) and other movement practitioners.

This has completely changed B’s solo practice and expression, taking them from instrumental improvisation into composing music – 2026 sees them launching BELARINA: powerful string-led movement-inspired songs and pieces. This is a new and exciting process for a performer whose acclaimed solo work has previously almost exclusively been based in improvisation.

Bela has recently been awarded an Arts Council England R&D grant to develop Belarina, to include live presentations of work in the UK and mainland Europe.

This builds on a 2026 artist residency at The Grange, following three residencies in 2024/25: Fabrica (Brighton), Positive Ambisonics (Tayvallich), Anita’s Room (Brighton Dome) exploring themes including:

• writing music in service of their own creativity – a pertinent enquiry for a musician who has supported so many other people’s wellbeing and creativity, in session and community work
• interactions of sound and movement, creating from/with/for the body (solo and collaborative)
• space and surrender
• environmental surround sound
• physical presence in an era of remote connections; what is ‘real’?

Excerpts of BELARINA at Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/belaemerson