About

Colchester New Music (Registered Charity no. 287932) is a co-operative of composers and performers, founded in 1984, based in East Anglia and reaching out to London and the south of England. We consist of composers of all ages – from students to professionals – and our aim is to build opportunities for all our members through sharing skills, advice and support and providing a range of performance opportunities. As with most composer collectives, funding presents a challenge, so we strive to share what each member can offer to the group, and we are always keen to recruit members who want to work with other artists to deliver the projects they really want to see happen. If you are interested in joining us, see the information on how to become a member.

One of the ways we create opportunities is through collaboration. Locally to Colchester we have had collaborations with the Colchester Institute, the Colchester Sixth Form College, firstsite and the Moot Hall Organ restoration project. Further afield, we have collaborated with the Composers of Wales and the Sonic Arts Network. In the past we have worked with a variety of ensembles (including professional ensembles such as Gemini and Ixion) and composers such as Tansy Davies and Michael Finnissy. We are passionate about working with a range of ensembles, including amateur, student, semi-professional and professional ensembles. We are actively seeking ensembles to collaborate with, so if you are interested in working with us to devise and deliver new music projects, please get in touch.

We aim to present or collaborate in multiple Calls for Scores, performances and other events per year. In the past we have been grateful to receive funding from organisations such as Arts for All, Arts in Essex, BT, Colchester Borough Council, the Arts Council of England (Making Music) and the Performing Rights Society Foundation, who have helped support our ambitious projects.