Nonclassical Competitors

Our mission is to be the base camp for anyone in the UK who wants to make, experience, or support new music and sound to shape the modern world. For over 15 years, we have worked with thousands of music creators and hundreds of organisations to boost musical creativity, careers, cultures, and communities across the UK. Reducing barriers and championing inclusion underpins everything we do driven by our sector leading Fair Access Principles. We are proud of our record progressing equity and representation within new music in the UK. Sound and Music is supported by Arts Council England and proud to be a National Youth Music Organisation.

With its signature creative ethos, Aurora Orchestra combines world-class performance with adventurous programming and original concert experiences. Collaborating widely across art forms and musical genres, Aurora has worked with an exceptional breadth of artists ranging from Ian Bostridge to Edmund de Waal to Björk. In recent years, it has pioneered memorised performance (without the use of printed sheet music), and is thought to be the first orchestra worldwide to perform whole symphonies in this unique way. Founded in 2005 under Principal Conductor Nicholas Collon, Aurora is based in London, where it's Associate Orchestra at Southbank Centre and Resident Orchestra at Kings Place.

The London Sinfonietta’s mission is to place the best contemporary classical music at the heart of today’s culture; engaging and challenging the public through inspiring performances of the highest standard, and taking risks to develop new work and talent. The ensemble is Resident Orchestra at Southbank Centre with headquarters at Kings Place, and continues to take the best contemporary music to venues and festivals across the UK and worldwide with a busy touring schedule. Since its inaugural concert in 1968 – giving the world premiere of Sir John Tavener’s The Whale – the London Sinfonietta’s commitment to making new music has seen it commission over 300 works, and premiere many hundreds more. The core of the London Sinfonietta is 18 Principal Players, representing some of the best solo and ensemble musicians in the world. The ensemble has just launched its Emerging Artists Programme, which will give professional musicians at the start of promising and brilliant careers the opportunity to work alongside those Principal Players on stage across the season. The London Sinfonietta’s recordings present a catalogue of 20th-century classics, on numerous prestigious labels as well as the ensemble's own London Sinfonietta Label. Most recently, Philip Cashian’s Piano Concerto and a series of Sinfonietta Shorts downloads were released on NMC Recordings, and a CD of music by Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen on Dacapo.