Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival is based in the historic and beautiful city of Canterbury. Here are the organisation’s aims: To provide an essential platform for the music of our time;

• To support composers and performers;
• To support the musical education and experience of people through contemporary music;
• To create programmes that enrich, entertain and stimulate;
• To introduce young people to new music and the best performers possible;
• To develop and foster new initiatives of the highest quality of creative work;
• To present challenge and never to compromise, but to show how barriers and preconceptions can be broken down.

Sounds New occupies a unique place in the promotion of contemporary music in the South of England. Sounds New was established in 1997, the brainchild of Nicholas Cleobury. Cleobury stepped down as Artistic Director in January 2007, but remains ‘Founder and Principal Conductor’ The Artistic Team is now led by Paul Max Edlin, who has been with Sounds New from its beginning as a founder-member of the Artistic Group. Sounds New’s reputation has allowed it to attract composers of national and international standing over the years, always sharing with young people the opportunity to create music and giving audiences an insight into contemporary music. These composers have included Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Jonathan Dove, Jonathan Harvey, Tunde Jegede, Magnus Lindberg, James MacMillan, John McCabe, Paul Patterson, Poul Ruders, Mark-Anthony Turnage and John Woolrich. It has also introduced many young composers to a wider public at the very beginning of their careers. Such composers include Tarik O’Regan, Stuart McCrea, Anna Meredith, Emily Howard, Richard Peat and Philip Venables. It works with sister organisations to ensure a wide range of contemporary music styles are properly represented and supported. Sounds New currently works together with:

• Adam Mickiewicz Institute
• Canterbury Christ Church University
• CoMA
• Creative Partnerships
• International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition (Poland)
• Kent Music
• Live Music Now!
• Orange Street Music Club
• Park Lane Group
• Philharmonia Orchestra
• Polish Cultural Institute
• Royal College of Music
• Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama
• Sidney Cooper Gallery
• Turner Contemporary

Who We Are

The Artistic Group is made up as follows:

Paul Max Edlin (Artistic Director and Chair of Artistic Group)
Paul studied composition and trumpet at the Royal College of Music and composition at Sussex University where he took his doctorate. His works have been performed and broadcast both nationally and abroad by many leading artists including Evelyn Glennie, Nicholas Daniel, Rolf Hind, The Britten Sinfonia and Psappha. He is Professor of Music at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Rosemary Dunn (Music Project Co-ordinator)
Ro has huge experience in teaching every age-group and ability-range, including Special Needs, Kinder Music, Diploma students and the University of the Third Age. Her speciality in creative group music-making and individual composition with school students led to a period as Consultant for BBC TV and Radio music education programmes.

Paul Patterson (Artistic Advisor 2009)
Paul is recognised as one of the UK’s most prominent composers. He is Manson Professor of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, Visiting Professor at the Royal Northern College of Music and Canterbury Christ Church University and Composer-in-residence to the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

Roderick Watkins
Roderick studied composition in the USA (Oberlin), in France (IRCAM) and at the Royal Academy of Music, where his teachers included Hans Werner Henze and Paul Patterson. His works include an opera, The Juniper Tree, commissioned by the Munich Biennale. In 2005 he was appointed Professor of Composition at Canterbury Christ Church University where he is currently Head of Department.

Peter Cook (Education Project Leader)
Peter is a music practitioner who has been based in Kent for 20 years. In 2002 he set up ‘Big Bash Music Company Ltd’, which runs community projects in the South East. In 2003, Peter began working with Creative Partnerships as one of their project leaders.

Sarah Field (Director of Sounds New Ensemble)
Sarah is the Artistic Group’s representative on The Board. Sarah is a leading saxophonist. Sarah studied at the Royal Northern College of Music under John Harle (Patron of Sounds New) together with John Wallace OBE (Patron of Sounds New).

The Management Team is:

Michelle Castelletti (Festival Manager)
Following her music diplomas and a Bachelors degree in Music (Hons) at the University of Malta, Michelle was awarded a scholarship from the Maltese Government to come to Canterbury to read for a Masters in Music. She is currently combining her work in Sounds New whilst continuing her studies toward a PhD.

Christine Cummings (Administration Consultant)
Christine is a former artist management agent and special project manager for the LSO, LPO, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. She is also Administrator of Deal Festival and Tour Manager of the World Orchestra for Peace.

Willie Cooper (Financial Administrator)
Willie is a member of the Institute of Funders and has worked as a successful fundraiser in the arts for many years. She has been involved with Sounds New as their Press Officer for five years.

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At a glance 2010

Download the PDF of the 2010 Sounds New Festival programme here
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