The story so far

Before CoMA was a charity, it was an idea, and that idea grew to become our first Summer School.

Taking place at Wortley Hall, South Yorkshire in September 1993, the first CoMA Summer School brought together a group of amateur music-lovers who wanted to explore new music and have fun. Over several days they enjoyed workshops and rehearsed and performed a programme that included new specially commissioned pieces by Michael Finnissy, Diana Burrell and William Sweeney.

That first Summer School planted the seeds of what became CoMA’s ensembles, catalogue of accessible new music and mission to get more people playing together. And it led to many more: the Summer School returned to the next year in the same location, then after a move to Bretton Hall near Wakefield for 1995, it ran in a number of locations over the next three decades, including Orkney in 2017, and online for 2020’s pandemic edition.

After a break of a few years, our residential Summer School returned in August 2025, with a five-day gathering at the University of Keele that included large and smaller ensembles, workshops with Sarah Nicolls, Sonic Bothy, Supriya Nagarajan, Loré Lixenberg and more, and the chance for amateur composers to develop pieces and have them performed in concert.

Read more about CoMA Summer School 2025 here.

What next?

We’re currently working on plans for the next CoMA Summer School. It will still take place in the UK and include a residential option, but we’re reimagining the format so more people can take part and experience the joy of contemporary music-making.

Stay tuned for more details – to be among the first to hear about the next CoMA Summer School, sign up to our newsletter.