PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture reveal the pieces of new music to be performed at the critically acclaimed, free festival, New Music Biennial. Presented in partnership with BBC Radio 3, and NMC Recordings, with support from Arts Council England, 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
Additionally, each festival weekend will be highlighted as one of PRS Foundation’s badged events as part of the organisation’s 25th Anniversary celebrations and will also feature a PRS Foundation Beyond Borders supported piece – a collaborative initiative that supports touring new works across UK nations and Ireland, run by PRS Foundation with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council Ireland.
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.
Since its inception as New Music 20×12 for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the New Music Biennial has showcased critically acclaimed works by composers and music creators such as Anna Meredith, Mica Levi, Hannah Peel, Errollyn Wallen, Keeley Forsyth, Gazelle Twin, GoGo Penguin, Jessica Curry, Shingai Shoniwa, David Okumu, Mark Simpson, Martin Green, Eliza Carthy, Gavin Bryars, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Shiva Feshareki, and Sam Lee – many of which have gone on to receive award nominations.
Bradford, brims with energy, creativity, and a deep sense of community – making it the perfect destination for this year’s festival, alongside New Music Biennial’s spiritual home, Southbank Centre in the nation’s capital, London.
New Music Biennial works are no longer than 15 minutes in length, and in a range of genres, including contemporary classical, jazz, R&B, folk, global, sound installations, and electronica, creating a pop-up, interactive space for audiences to discover and engage with new music and reaffirming new music is for everyone whilst highlighting the continuing important role commissioning new music has today in the UK.
Pieces included in this year’s New Music Biennial 2025
New works:
“Dhamaal – Core” – A high-energy fusion of South Asian, Jazz, Electronic traditions, creating an exhilarating and dynamic celebration of musical diversity.
Commissioned by Serious Trust written by the Indian-born British composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Shri Sriram
Genre: Indian Classical / Jazz / Electronic
“P E A C E” – A bold meeting of electronics, rap, double bass, and historic audio, exploring what peace sounds like in 2025 through contrast and commonality.
Commissioned by manchester jazz festival, 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” – A music and multimedia collaboration that deconstructs Yorkshire club music through soundscapes and visual experimentation to mythologise Bradford’s south asian working-class culture.
Commissioned by Brighter Sound, written by underground audiovisual artist and DJ m3UNTITLED, and experimental duo GOMID (Nigerian-British vocalist Iyunoluwanimi Yemi-Shodimu and British producer Samuel Scott).
Genre: Sound Art / UK Bass
“Moth x Human” – 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. Commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music, 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” – 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. Commissioned by Spitalfields Music, written by award-winning performer-composer Emily Levy and groundbreaking musician Matthew Bourne.
Genre: Contemporary / Experimental Folk
“Requiem” – A bold re-orchestration of raw album tracks by Leith-based composer, vocalist and Paraorchestra regular Rylan Gleave, brought to life by All Men Unto Me and a stellar cast of collaborators.
Commissioned by Paraorchestra, written by Rylan Gleave (under the moniker All Men Unto Me).
Genre: Rock/Avant Garde
“Chasing Sunlight” – 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.
Commissioned by Sinfonia Cymru, written by award-winning British composer, music director and producer, Mark David Boden
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“GLOW” – 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.
Commissioned by Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, written by the the innovative performer, composer and educator, Xenia Pestova-Bennett
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“Holocene” – An evocative and unconventional work for community brass, and bowed cymbals, weaving raw and intricate soundscapes that push the boundaries of contemporary brass music.
Commissioned by Onyx Brass written by Irish composer and writer, Ailís Ní Ríain.
Genre: Classical Contemporary
“In Conversation: N’dehou” – 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
Commissioned by The Carice Singers, composed by acclaimed British composer, Daniel Kidane.
Genre: Classical / Choral
“MARCH” – A powerful and joyful exploration of the rhythms, dynamics, and emotions of political marching, blending monologue, mass protest, and an absurdist game show.
Commissioned by Contemporary Music for All (CoMA), written by Jerusalemite composer and theatre-maker Uri Agnon
Genre: Classical – Contemporary
“Threads of Sound: A Woollen Heritage” – A contemporary work weaving Bradford’s wool heritage, folk song, and spoken testimonials into an immersive, multi-layered sound experience.
Commissioned by The Night With… written by Royal Philharmonic Society Prize-winning composer and singer Stef Conner
Genre: Classical Contemporary
New pieces written by Halina Rice and Jasdeep Singh Degun will be performed by BBC Concert Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra
Genre: Orchestral
New piece written by Shae Universe and Commissioned by The Blues Project
Genre: R&B
Existing new works:
“DANCE SUITE” – 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. Hosted by PRXLUDES, a contemporary music magazine dedicated to celebrating emerging composers.
Genre: Classical Contemporary / Electronic
“Penumbra” – 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.
Commissioned by Outlands Network, 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” – 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. Commissioned by MSCTY, written by award winning composer and multidisciplinary artist, Chisara Agor.
Genre: Dance Classical / Global / Experimental
“Thar Farraige (Over Sea)” – 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. Commissioned by Chamber Music Scotland, written by Irish art music composer and musician, Linda Buckley.
Genre: Folk / Contemporary / Traditional
“Voice Notes” – 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.
Presented by Another Sky Festival, 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
Joe Frankland, CEO at PRS Foundation said, “We’re so pleased to be revealing this year’s New Music Biennial festival lineup featuring 20 excellent pieces of new music created by some of the most exciting UK-based composers and music creators today. It’s thanks to our partnerships with Southbank Centre, BBC Radio 3, NMC, Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, and the generous funding of Arts Council England that together we can continue to bring this ambitious festival to life.
“We’re incredibly proud of the New Music Biennial as a festival, community, platform and opportunity for composers and organisations commissioning new music, and so will be badging this event as one of PRS Foundation’s 25th Anniversary highlights this year. As part of this I am delighted we could include a special appearance of a recent PRS Foundation Beyond Borders supported piece in the festival lineup, another successful initiative we have been running for 15 years with support from the arts councils in all 4 UK nations and Ireland.
“We’re very much looking forward to audiences attending the upcoming festival weekends in Bradford as part of their UK City of Culture year and at the Southbank Centre over the summer, to hear great new music and enjoy a snapshot of the talent there is across this country.”
Jenny Harris, Director of Programme at Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture said, “The composers and musicians that will be performing at New Music Biennial have responded beautifully to the context in which this year’s festival is set, with northern voices and sensibility reflected throughout. There’s a huge variety of music genre reflected; from jazz, R&B and folk to contemporary classical, sound installations and electronica, all taking over our district’s incredible venues. Audiences can come with open ears and take a risk on something they’ve not experienced before, or immerse themselves in music they love – it’s a real opportunity to be curious. We’re delighted for Bradford to become the canvas for this wonderful event, and to introduce composers and musicians from across the UK to our city and district.”
Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director Mark Ball said: “Championing artists and their creativity is at the very core of what the Southbank Centre stands for and the New Music Biennial is a powerful part of that mission, especially as it is free and open to all. From invigorating interdisciplinary works to immersive performances, audiences can expect to experience the very forefront of music making in the UK today through powerful premieres and some NMB classics.”
Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms said: “Radio 3 is committed to showcasing the breadth of contemporary music, and the BBC remains this country’s biggest commissioner of new works. We are therefore thrilled to support New Music Biennial once more, with its brilliant range of composers and performers, and we look forward to sharing with our listeners the musical creativity that will be showcased in Bradford in June, and at London’s Southbank Centre in July.”
Cathy Graham, Executive Director with NMC Recordings commented: “I remember the very first New Music Biennial so well and have been involved with all of them in some way. I am really delighted to be part of this exceptional celebration once more, this time in my role as Executive Director of NMC Recordings. NMC has been the New Music Biennial digital partner since the initiative started in 2012 and over 70 of the works performed at the festival have been released on NMC and are available on digital and streaming platforms worldwide. As with all our recordings, these are available in perpetuity and become part of our living archive of UK and Irish composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. We are proud and excited to join our distinguished partners Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, Southbank Centre, BBC Radio 3 and the PRS Foundation for this year’s New Music Biennial.”
Discover twenty compelling new works presented by PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre, and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture at New Music Biennial. Join the festival weekends on 6-8 June 2025 in Bradford and 4-6 July 2025 at London’s Southbank Centre in London.
The FREE tickets for New Music Biennial will be available for registering in the coming months.
