Applications for the New Music Biennial 2025 (NMB 2025) are currently open, with a deadline of Monday 4th November at 6pm.
In 2025 NMB will take place in Bradford as part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture (BD2025) on 6th – 8th June 2025 and the Southbank Centre in London on 4th – 6th July 2025.
Through their open call application process, they are looking for pieces, each lasting 12 – 15 minutes long, which can be new commissions that will be premiered in 2025 or existing works that have been premiered in the last 4 years.
Organisations can apply for up to £20,000 for a new commission, or £10,000 for an existing work. 20 pieces will be selected to be in the NMB programme and each work will be performed twice at each weekend, and composers/music creators will be interviewed by a BBC broadcaster in between performances. Parts of the programme will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and all works will be released on NMC recordings.
If you are interested in applying for NMB 2025 please read the below brief, and if you would like to discuss anything to do with your application please do get in touch.
The Brief
Since its Launch in 2012, New Music Biennial (NMB) has continued to create a world class programme of commissions, performed at London’s Southbank Centre and across the UK in cities including Glasgow, at the Commonwealth Games and cities of culture Hull and Coventry. The festival creates a fantastic opportunity for audiences to experience short pieces of new music no longer than 15 minutes, for free, and allows music creators to compose exciting innovative music across all genres and take risks. New Music Biennial also presents a unique opportunity for music creators to share their composition process and thinking with audiences before they see it performed a second time.
In 2025 we are looking forward to presenting NMB at the festival’s spiritual home of the Southbank Centre in London and in Bradford, as part of UK City of Culture. We are inviting UK based commissioning organisations and composers to present new or existing works representing the society that we are living in, as well as celebrating the arts, empowering young people and engaging new audiences. We are looking for pieces that reflect the richness of music-making in the UK today, cover all genres and cross genres, and could be performed in a range of venues or in the public realm. We wish to reflect on the importance of sustainability and the environment by programming at least one piece centred around this. We also encourage works that will involve Bradford communities.
Our NMB open call is available via an online application which can be found on our website, and we welcome submissions from UK based commissioning organisations presenting works from UK based composers. It is important that Bradford is reflected in the programme and we aim to include at least 3 works that have a direct connection to the City.
In 2025 New Music Biennial will premiere in Bradford and we will then celebrate this programme in the Southbank Centre in London. The works will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and digital release on NMC recordings.
Please continue to the eligibility and criteria below
We are looking for projects which:
- contain distinctive and exceptional music
- will be performed to the highest standard at the scheduled weekend showcases in Bradford as part of the UK City of Culture 2025 programme and at London Southbank Centre
- fit with the programme’s vision to celebrate the breadth and talent of those making new music in the UK, reaching new audiences through imaginative programming.
- are works written by UK-based music creators who are either already registered as members of PRS for Music or would be able to join PRS for Music either as a PRS member worldwide or with split membership which includes PRS membership for the UK
Projects must:
- be performed at the weekend events in Bradford (6 – 8 June 2025) and London Southbank Centre (4 – 6 July 2025)
- feature a living UK-based music creator (either a new commission or existing piece written in the last 4 years)
- feature music which does not exceed 15 minutes in length, to allow for repeat performances and flexibility (12 – 15 minutes long)
- ensure that the composer is available to appear at the weekend festivals in Bradford and London
The programme is not open to:
- individual applicants
- companies limited by shares
- lead applicants based outside of the UK (although international artists / venues / organisations can be included as partners)
- applications for equipment purchase
- UK music creators no longer permanently resident in the UK
- projects funded through New Music 20×12 or New Music Biennial 2014, 2017, 2019 or 2022 (previous grantees and composers may still apply, but with a different project)