MFY's focus on new music
At the National Festival, MFY launched a brand new initiative, the New Music Stage, in partnership with Sound and Music. The launch seminar brought together music educationalists, composers, arts organisations and leading academics to discuss how to encourage and support the performance and composition of new music by and with young musicians.
Hosted by Richard Hawley, Director of Artistic Programming and Projects at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, the event signals MFY’s focus on new music and covered a range of talent development initiatives and case studies from Music Education Hubs which exemplify good practice and innovative approaches to promoting new music in educational settings.
A panel discussion, with experts such as Martin Faultley, Professor of Education at Birmingham City University; composers Kerry Andrews and Damien Harron; Susanna Eastburn, Chief Executive at Sound and Music; and Judith Webster, Chief Executive at MFY, gave the audience a chance to explore fundamental questions around the topic. What is ‘new music’ to young people today? What do genre definitions mean to young people?
During the afternoon event, we heard innovative performances of new works by The Varese Ensemble from Eltham College Senior School, directed by Christopher Petrie; and Penzance Youth String Orchestra, directed by Tim Boulton. The event also featured the premiere of Cassie Kinoshi’s Susanowu performed by Northamptonshire Youth Percussion Ensemble & Friends. Cassie took part in the pilot of the MFY Young Artist Development Programme 2013/14, which brings together young composers and young performing groups, supported by specialist mentoring from professional composers through a yearlong development programme.
The New Music Stage marks a significant development for MFY. The initiative puts the spotlight on the performance of new music written by young, emerging or established composers alike and provides a national platform to present that work.
If you would like to hear more information about our new music initiatives, including the New Music Stage 2015, please contact us... mfy@mfy.org.uk