We are proud to announce a new partnership with the British Council to deliver an international New Music Commissioning Programme: 2025/26, as part of the British Council’s Culture Connects Programme. This creative and cultural exchange initiative will pair three original music creators from the UK with peers from Official Development Assistance (ODA) partner countries to collaboratively compose and share new music that responds to our shared human experience.
Building on our successful Digital Bridge programme with the British Council in Mexico in 2022, the New Music Commissioning Programme 2025/26 will facilitate cross-cultural creative experimentation, dialogue and inclusion. Through a curated programme of artist development, coaching, co-creation and broadcast opportunities, the project will facilitate meaningful artistic exchange and spotlight original new works across experimental radio and digital platforms in both partner countries.
“We believe in the power of new music and sound to shape the world we live in. Our partnership with the British Council acts on this belief and builds on our commitment to creating more artist-centred, accessible and ambitious pathways – both nationally and internationally.
The need and urgency to cultivate more international spaces for shared exploration, radical co-creation and cross-cultural celebration is all too clear. Our new programme is a touchpoint for six outstanding individuals to shape a positive and international story about empathy, collaboration and transnational dialogue.”
– Dr Will Dutta, Chief Executive at Sound and Music
Selected artists
There was an overwhelming interest when the open call opportunity was announced in June with 270 applications from composers and music creators from across the globe. Today, we and the British Council are delighted to announce the six artists who will be participating in the scheme:
- Yantó (Brazil) – Singer, composer and performer whose work bridges popular music, experimental sound and performance art, fusing Brazilian traditional music with electronic textures and exploring gender, sexuality and social issues.
- María Gabriela Rubio Hernández (Colombia) – Composer and interdisciplinary artist working with electroacoustic music, mixed composition, acoustic music, performance, and sound art, often blurring the lines between composition and staged action.
- Fahmi Mursyid (Indonesia) – Contemporary musician, composer, experimental artist, multimedia designer and producer, creating glitch sound, sampling, granular synthesis, and swirling electronic soundscapes.
- Tony Onuchukwu (UK) – British-Nigerian composer, recording artist and sound designer creating music for podcasts, audio documentaries and soundscapes, exploring Afro-Caribbean visions, identities and memories.
- RIEKO (UK) – Japanese-born artist, composer and neo-ritualist blending live art, experimental music and collective healing as part of an evolving mythological world-building practice.
- Yasmin Rai (UK) – Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from London whose work refracts earlier compositional experiments into a fierce, deeply personal pop sound.
The artists will work in pairs to co-create new works which will be broadcast on our long-running radio show, The Sampler Mixtape, on Resonance FM in the autumn, and in-country platforms in the host countries. The works will also be included in our Minute of Listening education platform to bring these global voices into UK classrooms, offering children unique ways to learn about culture through sound.
“We’re thrilled to be working in partnership with Sound and Music to support the New Music Commissioning Programme 2025/26.
Music helps make meaningful connections across cultures, and this exciting programme brings together six inspiring UK and international composers to collaborate on composing new work together.”
– Joel Mills, Director of Music at the British Council
Profiles of the partnership pairs, updates on their creative journeys and the new work they produce will be shared later in the programme.
About us
We are the UK’s national charity for new music. Our mission is to be the base camp for anyone who wants to make, experience or support new music and sound to shape the modern world. We deliver artist-centred development programmes and essential funding to young, emerging and established artists breaking new ground across music-making in the UK. We lead research, campaigns, networks, archives and collections to further originality, discovery and equity within music.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. They support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. They work in arts and culture, education and the English language, operating in over 200 countries and territories.
About Culture Connects
The British Council’s Culture Connects Programme links UK cultural professionals and organisations with their international peers and audiences, enabling connections, providing intelligence, and facilitating creative collaboration, showcasing and touring. It nurtures partnerships that build future relationships, professional capacity, and opportunities for both individuals and creative sectors.
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