About

Explore the cutting edge of contemporary music at this free weekender.

New Music Biennial is a three-day festival celebrating the best new music across all genres from the country’s most exciting composers – and in 2025, for the first time, it’s coming to venues around Bradford.

From Bradford Cathedral to The Underground, the Biennial will be taking over venues across the city centre for three days and nights of performances showcasing 20 pieces of new music – with all shows absolutely free. Along with live performances of outstanding contemporary works, many performed in Bradford for the first time, there’ll be world premieres of brand new commissions. The works will then be performed at London’s Southbank Centre, broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and released by NMC Recordings – but we’ll hear them first.

What's On : Explore the programme and book tickets for each performance.

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FREE
Part of New Music Biennial 2025
6 Jun 2025

• Chasing Sunlight | Sinfonia Cymru
  See - and hear - an engaging new 'audio-visual concerto' that harnesses the power of the senses.

• Penumbra | Outlands Network
  Explore how this musical collaboration combines voice, video, lighting, and looping in their performance.

• N’dehou | Daniel Kidane and The Carice Singers
  Don’t miss composer Daniel Kidane’s premiere of his choral work, performed by The Carice Singers.

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FREE
Part of New Music Biennial 2025
7 Jun 2025

• Bantam’s Drift | Brighter Sound
  Immerse yourself in the deconstructed soundscapes and images drawing on Bradford’s South Asian youth culture.

• Moth x Human | Oxford Contemporary Music
  Experience a unique cross-species collaboration, where sonified moth activity is transformed into sound to spotlight the UK's declining biodiversity.

• Jasdeep Singh Degun & BBC Concert Orchestra
  Hear brand-new work from sitarist and composer Jasdeep Singh Degun.

• The Night With | Threads of Sound – A Woollen Heritage
  Immerse yourself in a multilayered sound experience infused with folk song.

• The Path | Halina Rice
  Walk a new trail with electronic music artist Halina Rice in this exciting new collaboration with the BBC Concert Orchestra.

• Holocene | Onyx Brass
  Onyx Brass reimagines the contemporary brass ensemble with a bold and unconventional work exploring our current geological epoch.

• Requiem | All Men Unto Me and Paraorchestra
  Enjoy an electrifying live performance of two tracks from All Men Unto Me’s new album.

• Love’s Letter | Shaé Universe
  Catch artist Shaé Universe as she performs an R&B medley live.

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FREE
Part of New Music Biennial 2025
8 Jun 2025

• DANCE SUITE | Alex Groves and Zubin Kanga
  Hear what baroque music would sound like on today’s dance floor.

• Nocturnal Sun | Chisara Agor
  This live performance and conceptual film will take you on a journey across an arid landscape.

• MARCH | Contemporary Music for All: CoMA
  Immerse yourself in this powerful, joyful performance and think deeper about the many forms of protest.

• Beyond Borders – Thar Farraige (Over Sea) | Linda Buckley
  Hear chamber and folk music combined, in a moving meditation on love, loss, and home.

• Mercury Songs | Spitalfields Music
  Enjoy an experimental piece by a five-piece ensemble that recasts British folk traditions for today.

• GLOW | Xenia Pestova Bennett and Hard Rain Soloist Ensemble
  Get ready for composer-pianist Xenia Pestova Bennett to create an eclectic soundscape at St George’s Hall.

• Voice Notes | Another Sky Festival
  Listen as refugees and migrants share their stories in this creative sound-world.

• Dhamaal – Core | Shri Sriram and Serious Trust
  Enjoy a fusion of South Asian, Jazz, and electronic music in this up-tempo work full of joyful energy.

• Peace | Verity Watts and Manchester Jazz Festival
  Does music about peace have to be peaceful? What does peace sound like in 2025?

Lead image: © Garry Jones Photography