Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi is a composer/singer-songwriter from Boorloo (Perth), currently based in London. Sophia is a predominantly self-produced artist creating ethereal ambient folk and experimental work with lyrical poignancy. She is a vocalist/cellist/guitarist/sound artist, working collaboratively through performer integrated sound design for theatre, dance, film and contemporary art.
In 2024, Sophia was the Felix Burrows Music Residency’s inaugural artist in residence.
Interview
“The beat goes on”
Originally published in The Ville, Edition 5 (Oct 2024 – March 2025)
Honouring the legacy of a remarkable young talent, this new residency at Goolugatup Heathcote is helping musicians take their careers to the next level.
Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi’s music career soared to new heights in 2024. The 24-year-old composer and cellist moved to London to further develop her sound and jetted off to New York to record her first studio album. Like many major life changes, Sophia’s big move was preceded by three months of dedicated focus in the studio — as the inaugural Felix Burrows Music Residency recipient at Goolugatup Heathcote — where she wrote much of her yet-to-be-named record.
“It was really affirming for me as an artist to be selected for this opportunity,” says Sophia, a recent graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. “To have the space, resources and funding to focus on creating for three months was amazing.”
The Felix Burrows Music Residency is a biannual, funded program at Goolugatup Heathcote in partnership with West Australian Music (WAM). Designed to support local musicians in creating new work, it offers a fully subsidised studio space for three months along with a $5,000 artist stipend. The residency is funded by the family of Felix Burrows via the Fremantle Foundation. Felix, who tragically passed away in 2018, was a much-loved local musician and prolific artist who played drums in bands like The Feast of Snakes and Darling Rangers.
Sophia spent her residency immersed in the process of creating — tinkering with the cello, vocals and electronic sounds which will feature on her debut album, which she describes as “ambient folk music which explores her experience of womanhood”.
The dedicated studio space at Goolugatup Heathcote features professional recording equipment and sound treatment, a piano, rugs and music posters. It’s also home to some treasured personal items from Felix: a green timber bench that he made, a few photos and a special lamp belonging to his family. “From all reports, Felix was a remarkable young man,” says Georgia Kennedy, the former Development Manager at WAM. “To be able to create something so valuable for artists, that’s also valuable for Felix’s family and his memory is an enormous privilege.”
The next Felix Burrows Music Residency recipient is Gracie Mae Smith, a multidisciplinary artist from regional WA specialising in drumset. Gracie will use the residency to focus on reviewing her daily instrumental practice process and composing new work. To find out more about the Felix Burrows Residency, visit goolugatup.com.