Changing Gear: Call for music creators
Changing Gear is YSWN’s artist development programme offering emerging music creators based in Yorkshire and the Humber commissions, equipment and support to compose and perform exciting new works.
This year, three women and gender-diverse creators working across a range of genres will be selected to compose new electronic music inspired by the 75th anniversary of the Peak District National Park, performing it at a location in the park as well as at No Bounds festival in Sheffield.
What is involved?
If you are selected, you will be commissioned to create a new piece of electronic (or primarily electronic but featuring vocals and/or other instruments) music that takes your practice up a step on an artistic and/or technical level.
The created work will show a connection to the Peak District, which this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of its designation as the UK’s first national park. Maybe you will draw inspiration from the park’s hills and dales, its dramatic landscapes and diverse geology. You might want to explore the park’s wildlife: its flora and fauna and the challenges of protecting its fragile ecologies. Or maybe you will celebrate how generations of people have found freedom and escape from the surrounding cities there, how events such as the 1932 Kinder Trespass helped secure access to countryside for ordinary people, or the experiences of those living and working in the park today.
We would like the new work to be around 10-20 minutes in length (or in total, if it is made up of shorter parts or songs). You will perform the new work twice in autumn 2026: first at No Bounds festival in Sheffield and then in a venue (tba) within the Peak District as part of a day of workshops and music.
What support is offered?
If selected, you will receive a fee of £1,540 (based upon 7 days at £220 per day) for your participation in the programme, including time developing, composing and performing your piece, as well as receiving mentoring. You will also have a resources budget of up to £500 to cover materials (excluding equipment purchase) or other costs arising from your project, such as specific technical expertise, studio time or collaborative partners (e.g. extra live performers).
YSWN will cover your travel and accommodation costs (where needed) for the two performance dates, and any research visits you make to the Peak District. We will record one of the performances and document it with photos, all of which you will be free to use yourself after the project ends.
Each selected creator will benefit from three hours of mentoring over the course of the programme, delivered by YSWN’s freelance pool of music industry professionals (who include musicians, producers, sound engineers and DJs) or by other suitable mentors who you propose, subject to an agreed budget. You can use this to help guide the creation of your work, or to support the development of your career and future ambitions. We also aim to continue support, by offering feedback on funding applications you make after the programme has finished and keeping you informed about future YSWN opportunities.
Who can apply?
Changing Gear is open to women (cis or trans) and gender-diverse people aged 18 and over – there is no upper age limit.
You will be based in Yorkshire and the Humber. This means either living here permanently, or if you are a student, it is your previous/holiday address, or your term-time address if you will still be studying here in 2026/27. We particularly welcome applications from those of the global majority and Disabled people. An access fund is available to support successful Disabled applicants and those whose caring responsibilities would otherwise prevent them from taking part.
As a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL, we will target this opportunity at emerging creators. You will probably already be making your own electronic music in any genre, perhaps at home, but it won’t yet have been widely performed in a professional context. Or maybe you primarily create using acoustic instruments or vocals but have some experience of electronic music and want to develop those skills further with support from your mentor.
We aim to work with a diverse group of music creators whose work may encompass genres such as electronica, contemporary classical, urban, jazz and experimental musics.
How do I apply?
To apply for Changing Gear, fill out the following Google form, which asks questions about you, your music and how you hope to benefit from the programme:
Changing Gear 2026-27 application form
If you would prefer to submit a video application, please answer the questions from the form in a short video and send it, along with the requested music links, to info@yorkshiresoundwomen.com.
The closing date is 11.59pm on Sunday 10 May 2026.
Timeline
A panel from the YSWN team, the programme partners and one guest musician will assess all of the eligible applications and be in touch with both successful and unsuccessful applicants by the end of May 2026.
After an online introductory meeting, you will have June-September to research and create the new music, including any visits to the Peak District, studio and/or rehearsal time. We will keep in touch regularly during this period to follow the progress, signpost you to resources and support you with any challenges or decisions that arise.
The two performances will take place during No Bounds festival (9-11 October 2026) and then on a weekend date to be confirmed later in the autumn (Peak District performance) and you will need to be available for both.
What if I have a question that isn’t covered here?
Email us at info@yorkshiresoundwomen.com and we will help.
About YSWN
Yorkshire Sound Women Network (YSWN) is a Yorkshire-based CIC championing gender equity in audio. YSWN inspires and enable women and people of minority genders to explore sound and music technology, running projects devoted to artistic development, education and network-building. YSWN also works with the audio industry to promote equality, tackle discrimination and increase opportunities.
Founded in 2015, YSWN’s mission is to support a flourishing industry which welcomes, encourages and progresses the inclusion of women and people of minority genders at all levels from studio floor to board room, and reflects the diversity of its participating communities.
YSWN is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL