Hugh Sheehan is a musician, composer, sound designer and producer from Birmingham, now based between Helsinki, Finland and the UK. The foundations of his practice lie in Irish traditional and contemporary classical musics, whilst also drawing from electronic and indie sound worlds. He creates music and sound for concert hall, theatre, moving image, radio, and dance projects.

Much of his work is concerned with questions of sexuality and gender, contemplating: the conflicts inherent in queerness; the quandary of assimilation versus radicalism; and the unknowability or codification of desire. His debut album Shapes That Are Different was released in June 2023 via Hybrid Forms. Under the Radar says of the record “Sheehan offers a poetic ode to queer iconoclasm, examining the daring power inherent in queer existence.” In 2020 he was comissioned by the BBC to make an audio work for its New Creatives series; the work - Lost Time - explores the joys and struggles in being queer. Hugh plays with and writes for several projects, including his own ensemble, and duos with Maija Kauhanen and Timo Alakotila.

In addition to his artistic practice, Hugh is co-founder, and former co-director and chairperson of The Trip to Birmingham TradFest, an Irish traditional music festival in the UK’s second city. He is also the founder of Helsinki concert series/record label Hybrid Forms.

hughsheehan (at) me.com