We are excited to be working with the seven composers and creative artists who will be our New Voices 2022.
New Voices is Sound and Music's major artist development programme, lasting 18 months with an annual intake. Spanning a broad range of genres and practice, all eight New Voices want to make changes to, and effect development within, their work. We are hugely excited they have joined the programme and look forward to working alongside them on this next step in their creative practice.
The New Voices 2022 composers are: Holysseus Fly, Jelly Cleaver, Lou Barnell, Lucy Duncombe, Nneka Cummins, Romarna Campbell, and Sonia Allori.
Composers
Holly is a Bristol-based vocalist, pianist, songwriter and painter working under the alias Holysseus Fly. Embarking on her debut as a solo artist alongside her success with the Ishmael Ensemble, Holly’s art boldly tells a story of hope against a backdrop of dark minimal textures.
Jelly is a composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in South London. With an eclectic taste in music, Jelly is heavily involved in both the jazz and DIY/post-punk scenes in London. She's also an activist, and a strain of political dissent runs through her music.
Lou is a sound and performance artist, radio DJ, and 2021 Oram Awards winner. Her work gives language to the alienating and disorientating experiences of being a neurodivergent woman, communicating her synaesthetic experience of sound, hyperfocus and sensory overload.
Lucy is a Glasgow-based artist and composer interested in exploring the socio-technical legacy of voice-based technologies. She uses performance, recording, research and writing as a method of understanding and extending the voice beyond its ‘natural’ parameters through vocal processing, cloning, transcription and editing.
Nneka is a composer and music producer from Liverpool, based in London. Influenced by rhythmic and beat-based music, their work currently explores ideas of expansion, close examination, and deconstruction through the electronic manipulation of sampled and incidental sounds from instruments via extended technique.
Visit Nneka's profile
Read Nneka's Q&A
Romarna is a drummer, composer, producer and radio DJ from Birmingham. She works in an interdisciplinary manner, combining audiovisual media, music production and improvisation in unexpected spaces to challenge notions of identity and space.
Sonia is a composer, performer, researcher and community music therapist. Her practice combines music and words at its core: using aural imagination to “hear” what she composes. She is a multi-instrumentalist and passionate about inclusion in music. Sonia writes electro-acoustic music and is researching D/deaf performance and sensory theatre arts.
The panellists
Sound and Music would like to thank our New Voices panel for the work they put into the process of shortlisting 18 candidates from 253 applicants to the programme.
The panel consisted of Sound and Music Co-Head of Artist Development Will Dutta alongside Anthony R. Green, Ikonika, Ruth Lyon, Brìghde Chaimbeul, and Shirley Tetteh (Nardeydey).
In line with our Fair Access Principles, we want to have an open and transparent selection process and this year, as in previous rounds, we have rotated the external selection panellists to refresh and renew the process.
Seed Award 2022
All applicants for New Voices 2022 who have been shortlisted to the final stage of the application process were eligible for the Seed Award. This year's Seed Award was given to Ana Alves, Chris Bartholomew, Kath Buckler, Giacomo Fargion, Meduulla, Robyn Rocket, Shamica Ruddock, Nikki Sheth, Xia-Leon Sloane and t l k.
The composers received a targeted package of support including:
- £250 contribution to support the research and development of a particular project
- Three coaching sessions with an accredited coach
- Three strategic thinking sessions with a dedicated team member
- Invitation to a workshop on fundraising and grants
- A networking session with other awardees
- Invitation to Sound and Music's composer Discord server
- strategic thinking sessions with our team
Thanks to our funders
With thanks to the Garrick Charitable Trust, the Marchus Trust, the Thistle Trust and the Vaughan Williams Foundation for their generous support for New Voices 2022.
See also
Composer-Curator is a composer-led and curated national touring programme which supports outstanding live and digital music projects and events.
Adopt a Music Creator is a unique scheme that pairs composers with leisure time music ensembles and groups to collaborate on the creation of a new piece.
Lisa Busby, Mella Faye, Jamie Hamilton, Sharon Gal, Emily Levy, Marv Radio, Max Syedtollan and Otto Willberg.