In Motion 2024 - Sound and Music

Sound and Music is delighted to announce the selection of the 10 exceptional composers for the inaugural cohort of our new flagship artist development programme, In Motion.

Our external selection panel were overwhelmed with the number, quality and diversity of applications, with over 350 composers applying for a place in the unique 18-month artist-led development programme.

The 2024 In Motion cohort hail from all over the UK, working across a wide range of genres including jazz, electronic, classical, experimental, folk, soul and punk. Together their work will create a rich tapestry reflecting many of the most exciting elements of new music today. We are thrilled they have joined the programme and look forward to working alongside them on this next step in their creative practice.

Our In Motion 2024 composers are: Vicky Clarke, Damsel Elysium, Siteng, Sherry Davis, Namvula, Chihiro Ono, Medulasa, Owen Shiers, Raivo Sloan and SWEENEY.

Composers

Vicky Clarke

SONAMB is the music project of sound artist Vicky Clarke, whose work explores materiality, electrical phenomena and ritual. Working with sound sculpture, DIY electronics and human-machine systems, she explores techno-emotional states through composition and live AV performance.

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Damsel Elysium

Damsel Elysium is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, experimental sound, visual & performance artist based in London. Having previously been hailed by Vogue as “London’s most stylish experimental sound artist” and having featured in the recent FKA Twigs Tiny Desk session, Damsel is an emerging avant garde artist not to be ignored.

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Siteng

Siteng is a genre-defying singer-songwriter, music producer, DJ and interdisciplinary artist based in London. Hailing from China, Siteng’s unique sound weaves together Björk’s sonic adventurousness, Kate Bush’s vivid theatricality and Eastern influences, forging an atmospheric, theatrical brand of art pop that explores the feminine psyche, nature, and transcendence.

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Sherry Davis

Sherry Davis is a multi-disciplinary artist who seamlessly blends soul, classical, and African elements to create compositions that transcend traditional boundaries. Presently, Sherry embarks on a journey to reimagine African narratives through the lens of music, film and exhibitions.

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Namvula

Namvula is a singer and songwriter whose artistic journey is an exploration of cultural intersections and heartfelt storytelling. Her music reflects the nuances and complexities of her mixed Zambian and Scottish heritage, and a restlessness born of her diasporic upbringing.

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Chihiro Ono

Born in Chiba/Japan, Chihiro Ono is a London based Japanese violinist, also plays viola. Specialising in Music, such as baroque, classical, contemporary, new, experimental music, and folkloric, noise, improvisation, field recording and art of sounds.

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Medulasa

Medulasa is the main project of Bunny Kay-Traynor, a nonbinary and working class composer/producer/DJ/audio engineer based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. They studied music composition and theory at Lancaster University as a way to rebel against their very punk parents, and fell out the other side of it with an MA.

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Owen Shiers

Owen Shiers is a Ceredigion native and grew up immersed in Welsh music, from the sonorous melodies emanating from his father’s harp workshop to school life and festivals such as the Eisteddfod and Cnapan.

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Raivo Sloan

Raivo Sloan is a Latvian music producer and multi-instrumentalist who composes through improvisation, often sonically writing and recording simultaneously.

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SWEENEY

SWEENEY is an anti-disciplinary artist based in London. As an artistic director, lead vocalist and writer in the underground London alt punk scene since 2017, xe is a master of reinvention and notoriety, fighting at the forefront for counter-culture, grassroots music and the survival of INDUSTRY UNDERDOGZ.

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The Panel

Selection was a rigorous and competitive process informed by our Fair Access Principles which help us ensure our programmes are as open and inclusive as possible and help us to progress equity within music in the UK.

We extend our gratitude to our specially selected expert panel, including Lara Jones, Mariam Rezaei, Tamsin Elliott, Tunde Jegede, LUNATRAKTORS, and Anthony R. Green, alongside Sound and Music's Creative Project Leaders, for their dedication in selecting a cohort that reflects a wide range of genres and backgrounds.

As part of commitment to fair access, inclusivity and transparency, the panels are rotated yearly, and diverse perspectives are involved at every stage in the selection process.

Seed Award 2024

All applicants for In Motion shortlisted to the final stage of the application process are eligible for the Seed Award.

This year's Seed Award was given to Lia Mice, Lucy Hackett, Rieko Whitfield, Genevieve Dawson, Su Shaw, Ellen Beth Abdi Lewis, David Sappa and Alliyah Enyo.

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