Next Wave
In 2017 NMC teamed up with Sound and Music and Sage Gateshead for Next Wave 2 – a unique programme designed to promote and support composers in higher education.
It addresses the identified gap in support for talented young composers about to embark on a professional career, and it was first delivered in partnership between Sound and Music and NMC Recordings as a pilot project in 2014, when we recorded works by 12 composers studying in Higher Education.
6 talented young composers were selected to take part in this artist development programme - Alex J Hall, Emma Wilde, Jack Sheen, Joanna Ward, Peter Wilson, and Robin Haigh.
The Next Wave 2 programme gave these young composers bespoke support over a year. This involved developing works for chamber-sized groups of musicians from Royal Northern Sinfonia – the only full time chamber orchestra in the UK – as well as one of three highly acclaimed solo artists: Quinta (violin/saw/viola) Lore Lixenberg (mezzo-soprano) and Luke Carver Goss (accordion).
In extended workshops at Sage Gateshead, the composers worked collaboratively with the Royal Northern Sinfonia musicians and soloists and the programme also involved mentoring from professional composers (Errollyn Wallen and David Horne), advice about recording techniques and the music industry. Their new compositions were recorded by NMC Recordings in November 2017 at Sage Gateshead and a live showcase event took place at Sage Gateshead in January 2018.
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We are all very excited at the prospect of working in partnership with Sound and Music on their national project Next Wave. This programme is the only one of its kind in the UK, and offers a fantastic opportunity for young composers, which dovetails perfectly with Sage Gateshead’s strand of artist development work. I am particularly pleased that the composers will be able to develop their skills working with chamber-sized groups of musicians from within Royal Northern Sinfonia, as creating new work for chamber ensembles and chamber orchestra is a key focus. We already look forward to the project culmination in a live showcase event at Sage Gateshead in January 2018, as part of our New Year New Artists festival.
One of the most rewarding outcomes of being partners in the Next Wave pilot project in 2014 has been to follow the continued development and accomplishments of all the composers involved, and we are delighted to be giving more talented composers this valuable experience and mentoring at the start of their career, plus an international platform for their work on our label.