ISCM World New Music Days festival heading to SA this year

The programme will feature new and innovative works from the international membership of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) and a wide variety of music from Africa.

NewMusicSA, a non-profit organisation with a 20-year history of supporting contemporary music in South Africa, has been chosen to host the World New Music Days Festival in 2023. Being the only African member of the ISCM, NewMusicSA was approached by the organisation, and its bid was approved in July 2020. This represents a significant opportunity for African composers to engage with the questions that have driven great works in the Western art music tradition.

Additionally, the Oluzayo – What Lies Ahead music festival, which took place in Cologne, Germany, from 31 May to 4 June 2023, will be making its way to Johannesburg in late November as part of ISCM World New Music Days 2023.

This expansion of the festival’s reach will allow for further exploration of African music and provide a platform to showcase new and innovative works from the international membership of the ISCM, as well as a diverse range of music from Africa.

The Oluzayo festival in Cologne featured six concert events with eleven programmes, two club nights, more than 1 300 visitors and 121 artists from various countries including Angola, Burkina Faso, China, Germany, Ghana, the UK, Italy, Nigeria, Portugal, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the US and Zimbabwe. It also included four evenings of African Futures Radio featuring live acts, conversation guests, curated playlists and a daily radiophonic listening hour.

Artistic director Thomas Glaesser described the festival as an incredibly diverse and multi-layered programme that showcased contemporary ensemble music, sound art, electronic music, improvised music, transcultural mixtures, and indigenous music forms from all major regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

Through conversations and contextual exploration, the festival aimed to provide a rich and complex understanding of the continent.

South African co-curator and singer Nonku Phiri expressed hope that with sufficient support, the South African edition of the festival would be expanded to include educational projects, workshops and collaborations with local musicians.

Listen to the opening concert of Oluzayo – What Lies Ahead on WDR 3 until 30 June here.

Ignacio Priego is the programme manager at NewMusicSA