Today, Sound and Music and the Mexican Centre for Music and Sonic Arts (CMMAS) with support from Supersonic Festival, are launching two new collaborative opportunities for women and minority gender* composers, music-creators and artists working in electronic music and/or those who use digital technology within their creative practice.

The project will match two composers based in the UK with two in Mexico, supporting them to explore a new international collaboration and create two sonic works to be premiered and hosted digitally.

Lea la versión completa en español aquí

The opportunity

The two sonic works created as part of this project will be co-hosted by all partners and will be premiered as part of a unique digital event. The works will be shared via our social channels and newsletters, and will be permanently hosted.

There will also be the opportunity to participate in panel discussions at the festivals Supersonic (UK) and Visiones Sonoras (Mexico). These discussions will focus on issues affecting women and gender minority composers and creators working in electronic music today.

The brief for the project is intentionally open and isn’t tied to any specific themes. Our aim is to support women and minority gender composers to explore a new international collaboration and to create the work you feel needs to be heard. The project aims to address these communities’ lack of representation in both countries and forms part of our joint work to make our online spaces a safer, more diverse and relevant place to discover new music.  

You will receive:

• A bursary which for UK-based composers will be £1000 (British Pounds). For Mexico-based composers the bursary will be $20000 (Mexican Pesos)
• Creative project support, signposting, networks and advice from teams at Sound and Music and CMMAS.
• Mentoring by experts relevant to the needs of your project.
• A production budget of up to £3,500 is available per project not including additional budget for access needs if required. Production budget to be agreed with teams at Sound and Music and CMMAS in advance of project start.

Who can apply?

Composers, music-creators and artists are eligible to apply who:

• *Identify as a cis woman, trans woman, trans man, non-binary or gender minority person.
• Possess a track record of working in electronic music and/or using digital technology in a way that is innovative and demonstrates an experimental approach to creating and composing new music.
• Are over 18 years old.
• Are based in the UK or Mexico and plan to remain resident for the duration of the project.
• Are not currently participating in a Sound and Music (New Voices, Adopt A Music Creator, or Composer-Curator) or a CMMAS programme.

For this call we would like to hear from those who identify as women or as a gender minority person. We also actively encourage applicants who are also D/deaf; disabled; from lower socio-economic backgrounds; who experience racism; and those who feel they have had less access to opportunity or who have experienced barriers or discrimination due to a protected or other characteristic.  

If you have any access needs or access related costs with regards to applying for this opportunity, which are not covered on this page, please contact alex.noble@soundandmusic.org (UK applicants) and rodrigo@cmmas.org (Mexico applicants)

How do I apply?

Applications are now open, please submit an application here

Deadline now extended to Sunday 15th May.

Applicants from both the UK and Mexico will each apply individually. Sound and Music, CMMAS, and Supersonic will then match pairs based on alignment between the project you want to create, your experiences as a woman or gender minority composer and why this is the right time for you to be part of a project like this.  

To apply you will need to:

• Provide your full name and email address (so that we can get in touch with you).
• Confirm that you meet eligibility criteria
• 250-500 words or 2-4 minute video/audio about your experience as a woman or gender minority composer
• 250-500 words or 2-4 minute video/audio about your idea for a collaboration
• 250-500 words or 2-4 minute video/audio about why this is the right time for you to be part of a project like this and what you hope to get out of an international artistic collaboration.
• Up to 3 links to previous work.

You will also be asked to complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form.

If you would prefer to submit your application as an audio or video recording, the online application portal enables you to submit a link to a site where we can view or listen.

This should be an unlisted video/audio link to YouTube, Vimeo or Soundcloud. Alternatively, you can provide a link from a file sharing service like Dropbox or Google Drive. 

Your video application does not need to be you talking to camera. Please apply in whichever way suits your needs. 

Please note that you are encouraged to be concise but we have specified a 250-500 word count or a 2-4 minute video/audio per answer so that you don’t have to spend a lot of time trying to communicate complex ideas in a very short space. If you write less or speak less but communicate your idea well you will not be penalised.

If you have a question regarding the application process, please contact Heather Blair – heather.blair@soundandmusic.org (UK applicants) and CMMAS contact Rodrigo Sigal – rodrigo@cmmas.org (Mexico applicants)

Selection Process

Applications will be translated into Spanish or English depending on the language it was submitted in. For audio and video this will be done via a transcription.

A panel including staff from Sound and Music, Supersonic and CMMAS, alongside external panellists from UK and Mexico, will meet to select and match collaborations. The panel will use the following criteria to make their final decisions:

• Artistic originality and the ambition to create a truly unique and high-quality digital work.
• Clear sense of alignment (based on your experience and the work you want to create) with another applicant, along with the ability to produce a meaningful collaboration.
• Ability to reflect on why this is the right time to be part of this project and how an international collaboration will contribute to your future artistic development and enable you to create a new piece of work to share with audiences.

Sound and Music and CMMAS are committed to equality, inclusivity and diversity across all our programmes.  You can find out more about Sound and Music’s commitment to creating open and inclusive opportunities by reading the Fair Access Principles.

If you have any questions or would like this document in another format, please contact Alex Noble, Executive Administrator: alex.noble@soundandmusic.org 

All applicants will hear back from us by mid-June 2022.

Project timeline

23:59 - 15 May 2022 - Deadline for applications

Mid-June 2022 – Decisions communicated with applicants by end of May.

June 2022 – Project begins

July 2022 – Participation in panel discussion at Supersonic (UK) if applicable.

September 2022 – Participation in panel discussion and activities at Visiones Sonaras (Mexico).

March 2023 – Final works premiered online.

[[{"fid":"56512","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"5":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"height":168,"width":620,"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"5"}}]]