Here at Sound and Music, and particularly on the British Music Collection, we feel that it’s essential to capture moments in our collective history; to create a space to reflect, to celebrate individual voices, and to address the under-representation of Black composers, creators, and their works.
Every year we review and refresh our opportunities, and last October, in celebration of Black History Month, we put out a call for a commission to support Black creators from the African and Caribbean diaspora based in the UK to create a new piece of sonic work. We were particularly interested in receiving proposals from those who identify as coming from low socio-economic or working-class backgrounds—who have faced additional barriers due to their socio-economic status.
Through this opportunity, we hope that the British Music Collection can continue to be a safe space where conversations about opportunity, diversity and cultural relevance in new music remain at the forefront of these commissions and the works produced by the composers we support.
We’re thoroughly excited to announce that the winners of the Black Composers Open Call for 2022 are FAUZIA, Thomas Harris and Joy Nkoyo.
Once completed, the composers’ new works will be hosted uniquely hosted on the British Music Collection online platform and shared via our social channels and newsletters over the coming months.