The New Music Biennial 2022 will celebrate its ten-year anniversary with previous works performed at the festival alongside brand-new commissions – including one from us! We’re delighted to announce we have commissioned sound artist and musician Paul Purgas to create a new work with tape.
The New Music Biennial as a festival is free (ticketed) and will take place across two weekends; the 22 – 24 April in Coventry and 1 – 3 July at the Southbank Centre. Composers and music creators featured include: Paul Purgas, Coby Sey, Yazz Ahmed, Anna Meredith, Jennifer Walshe, Gazelle Twin and more!
The project we’ve commissioned with Paul is a celebration and exploration of Tape. In the footsteps of the trailblazing reel-to-reel experiments of the Radiophonic Workshop and the exploratory spirit of Musique Concrète, Paul Purgas delves into the medium with a contemporary lens, utilising new technologies. For the New Music Biennial 2022 we present the next generation of tape music.
Paul Purgas is an artist and musician working with sound, performance and installation. Originally trained as an architect he has presented projects with Tramway, Tate Modern, Camden Art Centre and Spike Island and is currently a resident at Somerset House Studios. He is also one half of electronic duo Emptyset.
Thanks to support from PRS Foundation and the Southbank Centre these new works are presented in partnership with Coventry UK City of Culture, BBC Radio 3 and NMC Recordings with support from Arts Council of England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Paul Hamlyn Foundation.