Beyond Words: How Music Creates Meaning

Join us for a free orchestral concert for all the family, and explore how music creates meaning and connections beyond words, and across generations.

Musicians from the University of Surrey and the town of Guildford will perform an intergenerational concert framed around the music of Dame Ethel Smyth (1858–1944), a local English composer and member of the women’s suffrage movement.

The afternoon will also feature a piece composed by our Honorary Visiting Professor, Odaline de la Martinez, as well as much-loved film and popular music arrangements including Jurassic Park, James Bond and ABBA.

The event will include a 30-minute interval during which audience members may try out selected instruments, facilitated by our Music Hub Partner, Surrey Arts. You’ll have the opportunity to reflect on what the music means to you and meet the musicians during the interval, and share your experiences about the music you hear. All ages welcome, recommended children from 7+. 

 Spaces are limited - register now to secure your place.

This event is part of the University of Surrey Being Human Festival 2025 Hub Programme. Being Human Festival is the UK’s national festival of the humanities, taking place 6 - 15 November 2025. Led by the School of Advanced Study, University of London, with generous support from Research England, in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Academy. For further information please see beinghumanfestival.org.

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