What is the New Music Residency?
The New Music Residency brings together artists and composers to work in collaboration and upscale their music for a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
In 2023, we had seven participants on the project, including Bee Bran (Singer Songwriter), Franklin Onyeso (Classical), Gabriella Bongo (Dub/Jungle), James Bauld (Folk), Apollo House (Jazz), Yoshizawa (Jazz) and Anmanland (Hiphop/Rap) who worked in collaboration with our ensembles Royal Northern College of Music Session Orchestra, Birmingham Schools Symphony Orchestra and Northamptonshire Concert Band.
Each year successful applicants are supported with a £1,000 bursary to support their participation, professional mentoring and a performance on the iconic Royal Albert Hall stage.
Who is it for?
Are you an artist, band or producer who wants to perform at the iconic Royal Albert Hall, and work with an arranger?
The residency supports emerging artists to test bold new musical ideas, and upscale their work through cross-genre collaborations. For example, a rap artist with a full choir, an indie band with a session orchestra, a singer songwriter with a DJ or a folk artist with a brass section. When you apply, you will be matched with a young composer / arranger and ensemble to develop your ideas for performance, with support from professional music mentors.
Are you an arranger or composer that would like to write scores for large orchestras or ensembles, and work with an artist, band or producer?
The residency is aimed at young composers and arrangers who have a passion for writing score for large ensembles (using software to compose such as Sibelius, Logic, Ableton or Pro tools) and are ready to push the boundaries by working with an artist or band from different genres. When you apply, you will be matched with an artist, producer or band to develop music for score and a session orchestra, choir, string ensemble or big band, with support from professional music mentors.
The New Music Residency is aimed at UK artists, composers and arrangers aged 16-25 who want to push the boundaries of their music. Working in any genre, the artists/musicians must be open to collaborating with a broad range of musical styles.
The residency is designed for artists and bands with 2-4 years’ performance experience and original music (demos are accepted) ready to showcase through a live performance. And composers, arrangers or producers with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in creating, adapting, arranging, or transcribing music (orchestral, solo, ensembles, choirs etc…).
We encourage works to be thought provoking, in response to the artists’ environment, lived experience and artistic approach. We will support independent music creators who need access to funding, contacts and resources to make their ideas happen. We encourage applications from young creatives who are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, the LGBTQIA+ community and the disabled community.
Following an Open Call, individuals selected by an industry panel will be given a bursary of £1,000 to support their artistic process across 5 months (July to November) and paired with a music mentor.
*Participants must be UK, NI or Scotland permanent resident.
Meet our Artists for 2024
Kyle Osbourne
Kyle is a jazz pianist based in London, currently studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. Although his obsession is traditional jazz, his origins have deep roots in West African mandé music which he played semi-professionally growing up, with tutors from Senegal. He is deeply inspired by very different artists, from Ahmad Jamal and Bill Evans to Kendrick Lamar, Bill Wurtz and Phoebe Bridgers.
Zuc Zoey
Zuc Zoey creates electric music, which combines traditional music and contains some sound design. She started to make music three years ago, and was inspired by Mndsgn, John Hopkins, and Oneohtrix Point. Her future ambition is being a producer who can make the fusion of the electric music with the traditional music.
Hannah Lam
Hannah is a composer and multi-instrumentalist with a background in classical music. Over the past three years, she has composed classical and contemporary concert music. Initially self-taught, she studied for a year at the Junior Royal Academy of Music. Her diverse portfolio includes works for symphony orchestras, large choirs, violin duos, and solo pieces. She draws inspiration from composers like Caroline Shaw and Thomas Ades, blending tradition and innovation in her compositions.
May Payne
May’s debut EP 'Sane', released on September 1, 2023, received strong support from her online fanbase. This indie-folk project explores her experiences with growing up, including sexual assault, mental health, and queer identity. Despite being independently created and promoted, it was featured on Spotify Editorials (Fresh Finds and Fresh Finds Pop), BBC Introducing, Fresh on the Net, and received positive reviews from numerous publications. May’s music is now entering a new era, inspired by Big Thief, Daffo, and Soccer Mommy, characterized by an energizing, bold yet confessional style.
Watch our 2023 New Music Residency
