Release date: 29 August 2025
New Music Biennial is a critically acclaimed, free festival celebrating adventurous new music. Presented by PRS Foundation, Southbank Centre, and Bradford 2025 (UK City of Culture), the festival is delivered in partnership with BBC Radio 3 and NMC Recordings, with generous support from Arts Council England.
The 2025 edition will showcase a dynamic mix of brand-new commissions selected through an open call and standout works premiered in the past four years, reflecting the diversity, innovation, and bold creativity of today’s music makers across the UK.
Please note, all works for New Music Biennial were recorded live by BBC Radio 3 and NMC plan to release as many of them as possible, subject to contract.*
If pre-ordered, you will receive the download files on the release date (Friday 29 August).
Tracks to include*:
Mark David Boden: Chasing Sunlight
Fenella Humphreys • Sinfonia Cymru • Commissioned by Sinfonia Cymru
Xenia Pestova Bennett: GLOW
Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble • Commissioned by Hard Rain SoloistEnsemble,
Ailís Ní Ríain: Holocene
Onyx Brass • Commissioned by Onyx Brass
Daniel Kidane: N'dehou
The Carice Singers • Commissioned by The Carice Singers
Uri Agnon: MARCH
Commissioned by CoMA
Stef Conner: Ghost Weavers
Commissioned by The Night With...
Jasdeep Singh Degun: Into the Night
Jasdeep Singh Degun • BBC Concert and Symphony Orchestra • Commissioned by BBC orchestras
Alex Groves: DANCE SUITE
Zubin Kanga piano • DANCE SUITE was commissioned by Zubin Kanga as part of Cyborg Soloists, with the support of a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship and Royal Holloway, University of London. It was premiered by Zubin Kanga at the Southbank Centre in London on 12 October 2024
Chisara Agor: Nocturnal Sun
Commissioned by MSCTY
Dali de Saint Paul, Maxwell Sterling, Charlie Hope & Rebecca Salvadori: Penumbra
Dali de Saint Paul • Maxwell Sterling • Charlie Hope • Rebecca Salvadori • Commissioned by Outlands Network
Emily Levy & Matthew Bourne: Mercury Songs
Linda Buckley: Thar Farraige (Over Sea)
Brìghde Chaimbeul • Ailis Sutherland • Maxwell Quartet • Supported by PRS Foundation’s Beyond Borders in partnership with Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Arts Council Ireland
Shri Sriram: Dhamaal - Core
Commissioned by Serious Trust
Verity Watts: P E A C E
Kenzo Jae, Scout Bolton, Dave Kane, DJ Woody • Commissioned by Manchester Jazz Festival
Halina Rice: The Path
BBC Symphony and Concert orchestras • Commissioned by BBC Orchestras
m3UNTITLED & GOMID: Bantam’s Drift
BBC Symphony and Concert orchestras • Commissioned by Brighter Sound • Supported by Opera North
Ellie Wilson: Moth x Human
Commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music • Supported by UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
Hardi Kurda: Voice Notes
Sarah Jackson libretto • Compass Collective • Counterpoint Arts & New Writing North • Presented by Another Sky Festival
By: Composer & sound artist Hardi Kurda
Librettist Sarah Jackson
Contributions from:
Ahed Al Jondi, Hamida Khoder, Henna Asikainen, Jose Maria Covas Lima, Mona, Mymona Bibi, Naseraldeen, Olja Mladjenović, Roua Horanieh, Solin Shafiq Isa, Sule, Selin Cicek, Sunmaya, Tati Kashtanova, Vinicius Morfer
Yafet Amanuel, Frank Mukisa Nsubuga and others
With Compass Collective, Counterpoint Arts & New Writing North
Presented by Another Sky Festival
Some voices first appeared in Hold to Record, edited by Sarah Jackson and Olja Mladjenović, published by Palewell Press (2025)
SIPHO: Yearn
Produced by The Blues Project
Classical / Classical Contemporary / Orchestral / Choral / Avant-garde
Release date: 29 August 2025
Catalogue number: NMC DL202501
