mysounds 2023-2024

Are you a budding musician, composer (or both?!) looking to meet other young creatives?

Have you dreamt of making and performing in a musical work that will premiere in a national festival?

Would you like to work with some of the UK’s most exciting classical contemporary musicians and creators?

‘mysounds’ is your chance to create and perform music with and for your peers, explore stagecraft and learn from daring creative artists. We’re looking for 14-18 year old curious musicians, performers and sound explorers from across the UK, who would like to find their fellow music lovers and try something completely new!

Application deadline: Saturday 30th Sept 11.59pm

The experience

The ‘mysounds’ project will run from October 2023 – March 2024.

We are looking for 10 young people (aged 14-18) who can attend:

5 online mentoring and creative workshops (commencing 26th October 2023)
creative workshop weekend in Sheffield (2nd-3rd December 2023)
creative workshop weekend in Southampton (16th-18th February 2024)
live performance as part of the CoMA Festival, London (23rd-24th March 2024)

The mentors

You’ll be working with some of the UK’s leading musical mentors who are widely recognised for their unique approach to music performance and creation.

Mentors will include:
Una MacGlone, improviser and workshop leader
Lore Lixenberg , mezzo soprano and composer

More mentors will be announced very soon…

The details

The ‘mysounds’ project is entirely free of charge and all travel costs will be provided for participants. CoMA will also offer to cover costs for one parent/guardian to attend the creative workshop weekends where needed. As this is an entirely free project, all participants must commit to attend all of the online and in-person intensives.

CoMA is able to provide further assistance to cover access costs for any participants who may require this. Please contact Francesca (francesca@coma.org) for more information.

Who is it for?

We are looking for young people aged between 14-18 based in the UK, from a range of different backgrounds, who:

are interested in classical contemporary music and the work that CoMA do
have an interest and enthusiasm for music, composition, or collaboration
are excited about meeting other like-minded young people and working together to make this project happen
want to be involved in a new work that will be premiered at a national festival – keen to engage in future progression opportunities

We actively encourage applicants from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, including those from the Global Majority, d/Deaf and disabled people, working class backgrounds, LGBTQ+ identifying and participants from outside of Greater London.

We have a maximum of 10 places available.

2 places are reserved for participants from the Global Majority
2 spots are reserved for participants from Isle of Wight & Southampton

Successful applicants will be contacted by Monday 9th October.

How to apply

To apply please fill out the application form

Application deadline: Saturday 30th Sept 11.59pm

The application will ask you to answer the following:

Tell us a bit about you, your background and what your interests are.
Tell us about any experience you have in music or composition (basic music experience necessary).
Why do you want to take part in this ‘mysounds’ project?
What do you hope to gain from the ‘mysounds’ scheme?
Please confirm that you will engage in at least 4 sessions throughout the programme.

If you would prefer to submit a video answering these questions, there is an option on the application form to include a URL. Please ensure that all video submitted does not require a password.

If you encounter any difficulties completing the form, please contact francesca@coma.org.