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.
Watch our 2023 New Music Residency
