For the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, the PRS Foundation’s New Music 20×12 showcased a range of short (no longer than 15 minutes) pieces by contemporary music creators. Renamed New Music Biennial, the festival has become a showcase for works 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.
This year’s New Music Biennial is being presented by PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture in partnership with BBC Radio 3, and NMC Recordings. New Music Biennial 2025 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 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. The Bradford weekend is 6 to 8 June 2025, as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, with the music being performed at the Southbank Centre from 4 to 6 July 2025. Both festivals are free to attend but ticketed.
The composers showcased cover a wide range, Halina Rice, Jasdeep Singh Degun, Shae Universe, Ailís Ní Ríain, Shri Sriram, Uri Agnon, Xenia Pestova-Bennett, Verity Watts, Alex Groves, Dali de Saint Paul, Maxwell Sterling, Charlie Hope and Rebecca Salvadori, Stef Conor, Emily Levy and Matthew Bourne, Rylan Gleave, Ellie Wilson, Hardi Kurda, Daniel Kidane, m3UNTITLED, GOMID, Mark David Boden and Chisara Agor, with performers including BBC Concert and BBC Symphony Orchestras, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Ailis Sutherland, Maxwell Quartet, Kenzo Jae, Scout Bolton, Dave Kane, DJ Woody, Onyx Brass, Drum The Bass, CoMA, Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble, Zubin Kanga, Ensemble 1604, All Unto Me, The Carice Singers, Fenella Humphreys and Sinfonia Cymru.
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.
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.“
Full details from the New Music Biennial website.
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