To celebrate the selection of this year’s New Voices cohort, we caught up with all the selected artists and composers for a quick chat.

Here, we speak to New Voices 2022 composer Nneka Cummins.

Can you tell us about your musical influences?

I write intuitively and can find inspiration in most music. My main influences are in contemporary classical, any music that uses sampling techniques to dissect and re-imagine, folk, and the rich music of the West African and Caribbean diaspora. I feel very connected to Afrofuturist art but this is very much a seed in my own work. 

At the moment, my work tends to be quite colorful and dense and a sense of pulse is often a significant feature.  

What are you working on at the moment?

I’ve recently finished a work for chamber orchestra which will be performed by Liverpool Philharmonic’s Ensemble 10:10 in the Tung Auditorium, Liverpool at the end of October.  

I really enjoy manipulating audio to create new combinations and worlds. I’m currently in a development stage, I’m sampling bits and pieces and considering how the energy, spirit and essence of what was recorded can enhance the present. 

What are you looking forward to most about New Voices?