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.
