The contemporary works making a splash at the 2025 New Music Biennial

From hyper-pop baroque to jazz-infused West African electronic music via bamboo flutes and ‘intelligent dance music’ (IDM) – quirky fusion and cutting-edge technology headlines this week’s New Music Biennial (6-8 June), a three-day festival celebrating the best contemporary music. The project is a PRS Foundation initiative that was launched in 2012 as New Music 20 x 12, as part of the Cultural Olympiad programme. While the broader Olympic legacy might be characterised by the enduring hilarity of BBC spoof Twenty Twelve, PRS Foundation has expanded its 20 x 12 into a regular showcase for new work, and in 2014 the New Music Biennial was held alongside the Commonwealth Games. Since then, it has worked in partnership with UK City of Culture programmes and this year, it heads to Bradford, where 20 pieces will be premiered before coming to London’s Southbank Centre (4-6 July), broadcast on Radio 3 and released by NMC Recordings.

Rehearsals are underway for the Biennial's performance of Mercury Songs by Emily Levy and Matthew Bourne, commissioned by Spitalfields Music © Lucy Williams

It could be argued that such siloing is harmful for new music, and there have been considerable efforts to integrate contemporary works into mainstream programmes – the Proms has commissioned 10 new pieces for its 2025 season, many of which will be performed alongside household names. However, it is crucial for contemporary music to receive the same top billing as, say, contemporary art. In recent years the Turner Prize finalists’ work has been displayed in the designated ‘cultural cities’. For me, visiting the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum to take in the shortlisted collectives while in Coventry (UK City of Culture 2021) to hear Nitin Sawhney’s Ghosts in the Ruins requiem underlined the importance of this connection. Cultural status should encompass the full range of disciplines; music should be part of new art.

With support from Arts Council England, all Bradford performances will be free to attend. They take place across several venues, including Bradford Cathedral, where the Carice Singers will premiere a new choral work by Daniel Kidane (pictured right). N’dehou takes its name from a Central African bamboo flute that was recorded and promoted by Cameroonian musicologist Francis Bebey (1929-2001). Kidane had seen Bebey’s demonstrations on YouTube and they evoked childhood memories of the composer’s fascination with Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock, where the percussionist uses a bottle to create an unusual timbral effect. ‘N’dehou uses hocketing – the melody is shared around different parts,’ explains George Parris, artistic director of the Carice Singers, ‘the music moves around the choir, it’s very fast paced and fun to do. It’s edge-of-your-seat stuff; restless and jovial – we hope it will be enchanting to watch as well as hear.'

Kidane is having quite the summer. He’s a featured composer at this year’s Aldeburgh Festival (13-29 June) where his piano etudes will be performed by Mishka Rushdie Momen, Awake – his 2019 work for orchestra – is part of the BBC Symphony Orchestra concert (conducted by Sakari Oramo, for whom the piece was originally composed) and the Carducci Quartet premieres a new string piece. Parris and the Carice Singers have long been fans of Kidane’s language. ‘It’s sophisticated and very intelligent; it draws you in,’ says Parris. ‘The pacing and rhythm in N’dehou are so engaging.’

Parris knew he wanted to commission Kidane and saw the New Music Biennial as the ideal opportunity. ‘At the time of the application we didn’t know that we would perform in the cathedral, but we wanted to think about Bradford as a city,’ he says. ‘Multiculturalism was a huge part.’ The Carice Singers – established by Parris in 2011 and named after Elgar’s only child – has always performed contemporary work. The ensemble collaborates regularly with composers including Electra Perivolaris, whose Weaving Stars was premiered in 2024.

Composers discuss their work at Cheltenham Music Festival’s Composer Academy at Syde Manor ©Ben Siebertz

The Carice Singers met Kidane through Cheltenham Music Festival’s Composer Academy (7-11 July). Workshop attendees can submit a piece for performance by the choir, with a rare chance for feedback from course tutor Kidane. Parris reflects that this process provides a distinctive opportunity to understand a composer’s intentions. ‘It’s a great combination; Daniel supports on technical aspects and I’m there as a practical problem solver,’ he says. ‘I’ve never seen contemporary music as an extra or a thing in itself. Being part of bringing new music to life is a privilege.’ Connections will be made over the coming weekend, too. ‘The New Music Biennial is a wonderful way to see what everyone is up to,’ concludes Parris, ‘We’re all working on the same thing: building audiences and making brave and exciting sounds.’