Our collection
CoMA has created a unique music catalogue of hundreds of contemporary works written for performance by anyone, from youth groups to professional ensembles. We developed this catalogue to create works that are high quality, uncompromising in their artistic intent yet technically within the grasp of non-professional and professional musicians alike. Through 300+ commissions, composition courses and collaborative projects, CoMA has supported thousands of creators and produced a unique catalogue of 900+ contemporary scores.
At the core of CoMA’s music collection are CoMA’s Open Score works, which are flexibly scored to be suitable for ensembles of varying sizes and instrumentation. These works have an outstanding record of being re-performed by CoMA’s national network of ensembles, music hubs and professional ensembles, whilst also being readily performed around the world, through an expanding network of European ensembles developed by CoMA and partnerships abroad.
Many leading UK and international composers have written for CoMA including Judith Weir, Michael Nyman, Hannah Kendall, Stephen Montague, Diana Burrell, Jonathan Harvey, Errollyn Wallen, Oliver Leith, Joanna Bailie, Michael Finnissy, Jennifer Walshe, and Philip Cashian.
Click here to see our catalogue
Open Score Repertoire
CoMA’s Open Score commission project was established in 2004 to generate new repertoire for amateur ensembles of varying size and instrumentation. Initially, a different artistic director was appointed each year to commission new works from some of the most inspiring and innovative composers living or working in the UK, Ireland and Europe. Our open score anthology, edited by Marc Dooley, featured many of these composers’ works with reflections on open score practice. CoMA now commissions Open Score repertoire on an ongoing basis, through direct invitation and an open call for scores.
Click here to submit to our open call for scores
Open Score Student Projects
CoMA works with UK higher education institutions to provide training for composition students by giving them the opportunity to write for CoMA ensembles. Each partnership typically includes an open rehearsal for students to learn more about CoMA’s Open Score approach, a workshop of pieces in progress, and a performance of the completed pieces.
Many works written as part of these student projects have become core parts of the CoMA Catalogue.
Previous partnerships have included:
- Royal Academy of Music and CoMA London Ensemble
- Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance and CoMA Voices
- Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and CoMA South West Ensemble
- Birmingham Conservatoire and CoMA East Midlands
- Royal Northern College of Music and CoMA Yorkshire
Partsong Repertoire
CoMA’s Partsong project is committed to building a unique collection of outstanding contemporary vocal partsongs offering fresh, exploratory, and experimental approaches to the vocal repertoire.
Our two anthologies explore non-conventional notation and unusual vocal techniques, speech, movement and auxiliary instrumentation, aiming to build a vocal repertoire that is bold, highly original and performable by mixed-ability vocal ensembles.
The original partsongs anthology, edited by James Weeks, serves to inspire and guide other composers to create their own partsongs, and establish an invigorating and relevant addition to the repertoire.
Our third publication, choral partsongs, edited by Janet Oates, provides exciting repertoire for larger vocal groups.