About

About us…                                 

nu:nord is an artistic cooperation and community-building project between emerging new-music creators from Canada, Scandinavia and the UK.

Revolving around an annual new-music encounter, nu:nord is a meeting place for composers and performers to share perspectives, collaborate, and create new musical work. Through peer evaluation, positive criticism, and a stylistically non-discriminatory environment, we aspire to build a supportive core that will strengthen the contemporary music community from the inside out.

Founded in 2011 by Canadian violinist Mira Benjamin and Norwegian composer Arnt Håkon Ånesen, the first edition of nu:nord was presented in Oslo in July 2011 by Ny Musikks Komponistgruppe of Norway. What began as a conference for emerging composers has since developed into an international platform for new-music presentation and diffusion. As a result of our annual meetings we collaborate year-round, across oceans and languages, in mutual support of our artistic goals.

What we do…

Our summer Northern New Music Encounter presents collaborative events which include:

• performances of participants’ work
• participant-run workshops and discussion groups
• opportunities to collaborate across both sides of the musical score

The nu:nord community offers members a framework to make opportunities for themselves. We’re looking for participants who are:

• eager to meet other artists coming from different backgrounds and bringing different perspectives
• interested in community involvement
• open to collaboration with performers and composers
• ready to have their ideas challenged, and to challenge the ideas of others, with the mutual goal of enriching their craft

What is community building?

Community building for nu:nord is about respecting the stylistic diversity of individual practice, while fostering social responsibility. We encourage a climate of mutual respect among emerging new-music creators, in the hope that this attitude will be sustained and propagated through the wider music community.