- Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station's cooling towers have become the setting for a musical performance by award-winning musician, Dr Sarah Watts
- Dr Watts, University of Sheffield performer composer and Nottingham local, teamed up with University of Nottingham composer, Elizabeth Kelly, to create musical tributes to the power station's famous towers
- Videos of the performances in one of the cooling towers and 'making of' interviews are now available for all to enjoy
Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station's cooling towers became the unusual stage for a new musical performance by bass clarinet specialist Dr Sarah Watts, Director of Performance at the University of Sheffield, as the station undergoes decommissioning.
Nottingham local Dr Sarah Watts has spent her career performing at venues all over the world. For her latest project she has teamed up with composer Elizabeth Kelly, Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nottingham, to record music in a unique setting much closer to home.
The cooling towers have been part of the Nottinghamshire skyline since the power station was commissioned in the late 1960s. Following the end of coal fired electricity generation in September 2024, musicians Dr Watts and Professor Kelly were inspired to collaborate on two musical pieces to document and celebrate the unique acoustics of the cooling towers, with permission from Uniper, the power station's owners, and support from the operational team at Ratcliffe.
Dr Watt's first visit to the site in March 2025 inspired her to compose her piece 'It's All I've Known', following her conversation with a Ratcliffe team member about the future.
Dr Sarah Watts said: "I wanted to create music that documented the building, the acoustics, the history and the story of the cooling towers. I think people document places like this through photographs, interviews, film footage, but I took this as a chance to document the acoustics because they are very unique and once these have gone there is no way of getting that back."
Professor Elizabeth Kelly composed her piece 'Cooling Cathedral' to explore the exceptional resonance of the industrial space. In the work, Dr Watts plays percussive sounds on her bass clarinet which echo across the space, and a melody which blends together into harmonies as the music unfolds.
