The International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) is an international network of members from around fifty countries, devoted to the promotion and presentation of new and contemporary music.
The ISCM World New Music Days Festival 2026 will take place in Bucharest, Romania from 23–31 May 2026. The festival is subtitled “Columna Infinita”, inspired by the famous sculpture by 20th-century Romanian art icon Constantin Brâncuși, whose sesquicentennial will be celebrated in 2026.
Sound and Music represents the British Section of the ISCM and supports UK-based composers to have work performed at the annual ISCM World New Music Days Festival.
Following a competitive application process, members of the ISCM British Section Board have selected six composers whose works will be submitted to the ISCM International Jury for consideration for the 2026 festival. At least one will be selected for performance at the Romania festival next May.
Patrick John Jones, Immense Bleak Electric Advertisement of God
“I feel immensely lucky to be shortlisted — many thanks to the panel. There was a lot of luck on the way to making the piece too. I’m grateful to Jon Hargreaves, Christian Mason, and the wonderful musicians of Octandre Ensemble for workshopping the music. Grateful also for the Early Career Fellowship that gave me the time to work on the project, funded by the Leverhulme Trust and hosted by Guildhall School of Music & Drama. I’m happy to be at this initial stage, but of course a world premiere at World New Music Days Romania would be a real treat.”
Elif Nur Karlıdağ, Sïnglïyï ïr
“I’m really delighted to have been shortlisted for the ISCM British Section. It’s an honour to be considered alongside such inspiring composers for an international platform that brings together music makers from across the world. I’m especially excited by the possibility of connecting with new audiences and contexts beyond the UK. I’m very grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to seeing what new conversations, connections, and creative possibilities might come from it.”
Tonia Ko, Concertino for Scavengers
“It is a great honour to be selected and very exciting to potentially represent Britain at the ISCM festival. I am thrilled that the results of my collaboration with cellist Louise McMonagle might reach a broader international audience!”
— Tonia Ko
Jonathan Pitkin, Study no.2: Picket Fence and Chips
“After all the judgement calls and risks that go into finishing a composition like this, not to mention the time, it’s a very welcome boost to have people whose opinion you value look at it and say ‘yes, there’s something here’.”
Michael Taplin, Selvedge
“I am honoured that my orchestral work, Selvedge, has been shortlisted for next year’s ISCM Festival in Romania. Thank you to the judges for selecting my work, and I look forward to hearing the works shortlisted by my colleagues. Were my piece to be selected for performance, it would be a wonderful privilege to represent the UK at this prestigious international festival, as well as hear new music from fellow composers around the world and make new connections internationally. Having the opportunity to have orchestral works performed is rare, so I relish every opportunity I am granted to hear such works performed.”
Zhao Jiajing, FOMO
“I am delighted to be shortlisted by the ISCM British Section and honoured to join such a talented group of artists. This recognition inspires me to delve further into the vast field of electroacoustic music. I would like to thank my family and the artist community who have supported me over the years, especially Adam Stanović for his artistic guidance and Bryan Yueshen Wu for our long-standing collaboration. I am also deeply grateful to Sound and Music for recognising the often-overlooked international ESEA music scene. Whether or not I am selected as the representative, I hope to continue making a distinctive contribution to the new music scene in the UK and beyond.”
Learn more about the ISCM British Section
Visit the ISCM World New Music Days 2026 website
Read Sam Hayden’s blog from ISCM WNMD 2025