Composers and Commissions 2025
New Music Biennial 2025 will feature 20 pieces of brand new works selected through an open call, alongside pre-existing new pieces that were premiered within the last four years.
The 20 pieces will make up two festival weekends of exceptional music taking place both in Bradford in various venues including new arts space Loading Bay, The Underground and St George’s Hall as part of the UK City of Culture celebrations and at venues and performance spaces in the Queen Elizabeth Hall at London’s Southbank Centre on:
● Friday 6 – Sunday 8 June, Bradford
● Friday 4 – Sunday 6 July, Southbank Centre
Free tickets will be released in the coming months.
New Music Biennial performances will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s New Music Show at a later date, with recordings available via all DSPs (including Apple Music and Spotify) through NMC Recordings following the festivals.
“Dhamaal – Core” – Commissioned by Serious Trust
A high-energy fusion of South Asian, Jazz, Electronic traditions, creating an exhilarating and dynamic celebration of musical diversity. Written by the Indian-born British composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Shri Sriram
Genre: Indian Classical / Jazz / Electronic
“P E A C E” – Commissioned by Manchester Jazz Festival
A bold meeting of electronics, rap, double bass, and historic audio, exploring what peace sounds like in 2025 through contrast and commonality. Devised by sound artist and audio producer, Verity Watts as lead composer curating a team of four creatives/performers: Kenzo Jae, Scout Bolton, Dave Kane, DJ Woody.
Genre: Jazz, Electronic
“Bantam’s Drift” – Commissioned by Brighter Sound
A music and multimedia collaboration that deconstructs Yorkshire club music through soundscapes and visual experimentation to mythologise Bradford’s South Asian working-class culture. Written by underground audiovisual artist and DJ m3UNTITLED, and experimental duo GOMID (Nigerian-British vocalist Iyunoluwanimi Yemi-Shodimu and British producer Samuel Scott). Supported by Opera North.
Genre: Sound Art / UK Bass
“Moth x Human” – Commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music
A thought provoking work for small ensemble and electronics highlighting declining UK biodiversity, sonifying moth activity data from environmental scientists at UKCEH into emotive, immersive soundscapes with acoustic instruments and live digital processing. Written by violinist, composer and creative director Ellie Wilson, supported by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).
Genre: Sound Art / Electro Acoustic / Environmental Music
“Mercury Songs” – Commissioned by Spitalfields Music
A subversive reimagining of British folk traditions with empowered female narratives, inspired by Bradford-born activist Julia Varley. A five-piece vocal and instrumental ensemble combine dark orchestration and experimental soundscapes to explore themes of women’s rights in a post MeToo world. Written by award-winning performer-composer Emily Levy and groundbreaking musician Matthew Bourne.
Genre: Contemporary / Experimental Folk
“Requiem” – Commissioned by Paraorchestra
A bold re-orchestration of raw album tracks by Leith-based composer and vocalist Rylan Gleave, brought to life by Paraorchestra and a stellar cast of collaborators. Written by Rylan Gleave (under the moniker All Men Unto Me).
Genre: Rock/Avant Garde
“Chasing Sunlight” – Commissioned by Sinfonia Cymru
A new audio-visual concerto for the violinist Fenella Humphreys and Sinfonia Cymru, exploring climate change’s impact on bird migration through live music and visual narrative created with asylum seekers in Bradford, through the BRAVE project. Written by award-winning British composer, music director and producer, Mark David Boden.
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“GLOW” – Commissioned by Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble
A shimmering and magical sound-world blending the Magnetic Resonator Piano with a contemporary chamber ensemble, weaving semi-improvised elements and field recordings with intricate extended techniques. Written by the the innovative performer, composer and educator, Xenia Pestova-Bennett.
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“Holocene” – Commissioned by Onyx Brass
An evocative and unconventional piece for a professional brass quintet, auxiliary brass and cymbals, weaving raw and intricate soundscapes that push the boundaries of contemporary brass music. Written by Irish composer and writer, Ailís Ní Ríain.
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“In Conversation: N’dehou” – Commissioned by The Carice Singers
A new choral work, inspired by Cameroonian musicologist Francis Bebey’s n’dehou flute, invites the audience into a collaborative exploration of sound, blending multimedia and interactive performance. Composed by acclaimed British composer, Daniel Kidane.
Genre: Classical / Choral
“MARCH” – Commissioned by Contemporary Music for All (CoMA)
A powerful and joyful exploration of the rhythms, dynamics, and emotions of political marching, blending monologue, mass protest, and an absurdist game show. Written by Jerusalemite composer and theatre-maker Uri Agnon.
Genre: Classical – Contemporary
“Threads of Sound: A Woollen Heritage” – Commissioned by The Night With…
A contemporary work weaving Bradford’s wool heritage, folk song, and spoken testimonials into an immersive, multi-layered sound experience. Written by Royal Philharmonic Society Prize-winning composer and singer Stef Conner.
Genre: Classical Contemporary
New piece commissioned by BBC Orchestras
Written by Halina Rice and performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Bradford and BBC Concert Orchestra in London.
Genre: Orchestral
New piece commissioned by BBC Orchestras
Written by Jasdeep Singh Degun and performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in Bradford and BBC Concert Orchestra in London.
Genre: Orchestral
“DANCE SUITE” – Hosted by PRXLUDES, a contemporary music magazine dedicated to celebrating emerging composers.
A striking, cross-genre work for pianist, composer and technologist Zubin Kanga, fusing Baroque suite forms with hyper-pop energy, queer culture, and cutting-edge music tech to create a vivid collision of classical and electronic music. Written by Ivor Novello-nominated composer and curator Alex Groves.
Genre: Classical Contemporary / Electronic
“Penumbra” – Commissioned by Outlands Network
An experimental performance blending improvised music, electroacoustic sound, video and lighting art, re-scored and reimagined for a new context after its 2024 UK tour. Written by vocalist Dali de Saint Paul, electronic composer and double bassist Maxwell Sterling, and visual artists Charlie Hope and Rebecca Salvadori.
Genre: Classical / Avant-garde
“Nocturnal Sun” – Commissioned by MSCTY
An interdisciplinary project blending classical, electronic, jazz, avant-garde, and West African traditions with poetry and storytelling. The first movement, Dust, is a live performance with conceptual film, following a people’s final journey across an arid landscape under a dying star. Written by award winning composer and multidisciplinary artist, Chisara Agor.
Genre: Dance Classical / Global / Experimental
“Thar Farraige (Over Sea)” – Commissioned by Chamber Music Scotland
A contemporary chamber music piece weaving Irish and Scottish traditions, exploring love, loss, migration, and the meaning of home, performed by Brìghde Chaimbeul, Ailis Sutherland and the Maxwell Quartet. This piece was supported by PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council Ireland and premiered at The Duncairn in Belfast and promoted by Moving on Music. Written by Irish art music composer and musician, Linda Buckley.
Genre: Folk / Contemporary / Traditional
“Voice Notes” – Presented by Another Sky Festival
Celebrating the voices of those who have experienced displacement, this piece features telephone messages from refugees and migrants, combined with electroacoustic sound manipulation and directional speakers. written by the composer, sound artist and improviser, Hardi Kurda and the librettist, Sarah Jackson, with Compass Collective, Counterpoint Arts & New Writing North.
Genre: Global / Diasporic / Electroacoustic
