This opportunity is now closed. Please see New Voices for the current open call.
New Voices: a new Talent Development Programme for new ideas, new sounds and new music
Do you create or compose your own music or sound? Then this could be the opportunity for you!
Taking the successful models, wonderful partnerships and expertise from our previous Embedded and Portfolio Programmes, as well as our Pathways Programme we are thrilled to announce and introduce you to New Voices, Sound and Music's reimagined Talent Development Programme.
We are looking for composers and artists creating their own original new music and sound to be part of New Voices
New Voices aims to be representative of the diverse range of composers working across the UK today.
Overview
- Become part of New Voices, an 18 month Talent Development Programme tailored to your needs
- Get the benefit of 6 months of bespoke, external and expert coaching and mentoring
- Explore and realise your creative ideas and ambitions, in your own style, in your own way
- Join a network of your creative peers from across the UK, who will be going through the New Voices programme at the same time as you
- Be part of a unique supportive residential weekend with these peers and with Sound and Music staff
- Make public facing work for audiences, through your own creative activity and collaborations, and/or through working with other organisations
- Receive a bursary of £1,500, travel and accommodation expenses, plus a production grant of up to £6,000 if you are organising the final public outcome yourself
- Work with Sound and Music to explore digital as well as live outcomes of your work
Sound good?
Great. At this stage, you only need to register your interest, and then we will get in contact to discuss and to find out if this opportunity is a good fit.
Keep reading to find out more.
Who are Sound and Music?
We are the national charity for new music in the UK. Our mission is to maximise the opportunities for people to create and enjoy new music.
Our work includes composer and artist development, partnerships with a range of organisations, audience development, touring, information and advice, network building, and education.
We champion new music and the work of UK composers and artists, and seek to ensure that they are at the heart of cultural life and enjoyed by many.
Anyone working with Sound and Music in this capacity will be helped not just through the opportunity to create and perform a work, but also from learning the skills necessary to forge their own careers as composers.
Why have we created this programme?
After many years working with brilliant and inspiring composers from across the UK to create ambitious new music we have learnt, felt and heard many things.
The world is constantly changing, and the needs of people creating their own music and sound across the UK today are changing in response to this.
It is our role at Sound and Music to adapt to these changes and your needs in order to support the creation and celebration of new music, both for now and for the future.
We believe that in order to work with a wider range of composers and to hear more innovative and diverse work we need to think a little differently; to address barriers and be more reflective of today’s society.
We want to open our ears and work with all those who want to work with us.
Could you be a part of New Voices?
We want to work with people who are passionate, determined and excited to explore their own personal development as a composer or creator of new music or sound.
We want to support you to make the most of everything this programme offers and we want to help you build your practice, and in order to do this we will need some examples of your work.
Whether you live in an urban or rural environment, whether you trained at a conservatoire or are self taught, whether you produce electronic or acoustic work, or whether you have many years’ experience or consider yourself ‘emerging’. We know there isn't one model that will or should fit everyone.
This programme is designed to be flexible and to build upon your existing activity, and we will work to fit around you, your lives, children, jobs and other commitments.
Composer? Creator? Educator? Sound maker? Sonic artist? Here at Sound and Music we know that defining yourself and your work is for you, and not for us to try and do…
New Voices - a new programme, for new ideas, new sounds and new music.
We believe that equality and inclusivity is the key to the success of this programme, both for artists and audiences.
We want to support composers from all backgrounds, ages, stages and styles; and we don't want our processes or perceptions of what we’re like to put you off applying to work with us (and we know it can!)
We want to work with you, as your new voice could just be what we have been waiting for.
How does New Voices work?
There are five steps to the programme:
One call for all
We will run one open opportunity for composers per year, starting from autumn 2017.
This will be a chance for you to register your interest in working with Sound and Music and to become one of our New Voices. At this stage (unlike how we have worked previously) there will be no partners or other organisations in place. This is a completely ‘composer and artist first’ approach. We want to work with you to tailor our programme around your needs, and to be flexible about how and who you might want to work with.
Register first, apply later
/// This opportunity is now closed. Please visit our New Voices page for the latest information and most recent open calls ///
When our application process goes live we’ll send you all you need direct to your email. There will be an application form and you will need to have two examples of your work that you can send us links to. We’ll also ask you to write a bit about yourself and your artistic work.
Selection of New Voices
Selection is, unavoidably, a competitive process, since we are committed to the programme being open to anybody to apply. An independent and diverse panel of experienced and expert selectors will listen to your work and read your application; they will help Sound and Music find a broad and talented group of composers to work with.
We will select a group of composers to interview and from that group select our New Voices for 2018. Sound and Music supports composers’ travel to interviews and we work with candidates to make sure that all interviewees can attend or join via Skype if physical attendance is not possible.
You will know who is assessing your work and we will be able to answer any questions you have at every step of the journey.
Meet the New Voices selection panel here >>
Coaching and Mentoring
As part of being a New Voice, you will have the additional benefit of six months of bespoke, professional and external support from our network of trusted Coaches and Mentors.
We have talked about the benefit of coaching and mentoring before and we believe this important extra support can bring a huge professional benefit to composers. It is a priority for us to find people for you to work with who will be supportive and interested in you and your work, whatever stage of your career you are at.
You can also view our Coaching and Mentoring Toolkit here >>
Creating new works for public performance and outcomes
The Coaching and Mentoring phase of the project is when you will develop ideas for the new work or project that you want to realise. You may have clear ideas when you start, or these may emerge in time.
This could be through working with another partner organisation such as a venue, an ensemble, an orchestra, a gallery or through your own collaborations and experiments…. or something else entirely!
We have a growing list of partner organisations who share our values, access to many leading composers and artists, and the commitment to help you to realise your vision. We understand that there are many different approaches to creating work. This is the exciting and important part of the process where you will have time and freedom to explore, to experiment, to adapt and change your developing ideas. And you will be supported and encouraged to take creative risks
After your 18 month period as a New Voice one or more of your works will be presented to the public.
We care about people hearing your creations, about new people discovering your work and about how we can present new music that engages. So we also want to experiment with new ideas, new approaches and new ways of employing technologies to build and sustain listeners during your time with us and beyond.
This is an integral part of being one of our New Voices.
New Voices Network
We know how important it is for composers to establish new networks and contacts, especially with their peers. And Sound and Music is here to help you do that.
By recruiting all of our New Voices at the same time we will encourage and enable you to go on this journey together. By creating a community you will have access to other creators giving you the chance to meet, to hear each other’s work and to share your experiences during your time with us. So, to help this happen every one of our New Voices will be invited to a residential weekend somewhere in the UK.
See also
Alice Boyd, Georgia Denham, Tamsin Elliot, Cassandra Gurling, Elija Maja, Frazer Merrick, Shirley Tetteh and Melanie Wilson.
Lisa Busby, Mella Faye, Jamie Hamilton, Sharon Gal, Emily Levy, Marv Radio, Max Syedtollan and Otto Willberg.
Vicki Bennett, Stuart Brown, Bex Burch, David Austin Grey, Alex Ho, Edmund Hunt, Johnny Hunter, Andy Ingamells, Liz Johnson, Marcus Joseph, Eunseog Lee, Daniel McBride, Eska Mtungwazi, Supriya Nagarajan and Gugak Sounds.