Danish New Music Academy aims to strengthen the future of new music through co-creation

The Danish New Music Academy returns to Aarhus from 3 - 8 August 2026 for its third edition. We spoke with the organisers about the ideas and ambitions behind the project.

29. June 2026 

How do you create new connections in a musical landscape where composers and musicians often work alongside one another – but not necessarily together? That question became the starting point for Danish New Music Academy, which since 2022 has established itself as a new gathering point for contemporary music in Denmark. 

The initiative grew out of a sense that there was a need for a stronger community around the development of new music – both nationally and internationally. 

“We saw a need to create closer connections between musicians and composers,” say violinist Sofie Thorsbro Dan and saxophonist Anja Nedremo, who, together with composer Emil Vijgen, organise Danish New Music Academy. In August 2026, for the third time, they will bring together seven composers and six musicians at the beginning of their careers and pair them with a group of experienced guest artists for a week of concerts, seminars, workshops and rehearsals. The ambition is not only to strengthen the Danish scene, but also to build connections across borders and make contemporary music more accessible to classical musicians. 

Inspired by international experience 

The idea also emerged through international experience. Both Sofie Thorsbro Dan and Anja Nedremo have worked and performed abroad and repeatedly encountered surprise from international colleagues that Denmark – despite its strong tradition of contemporary music – did not have a format comparable to international meeting places. 

“We’ve often heard comments from Germany and Austria saying that it’s strange Denmark doesn’t have its own internationally renowned academy for new music,” they explain. 

Summer courses like Darmstadt and others have played a central role in the development of contemporary music in Europe. But Danish New Music Academy was never intended as a replica of a master-apprentice model. “We wanted to place greater emphasis on dialogue and collaboration between performers and composers. Not a masterclass format, but a place where we come together to create something collectively.” 

Dissolving hierarchies 

Co-creation has become the festival’s defining characteristic and the aspect that most clearly distinguishes it from traditional course formats. Instead of teaching or masterclasses, participants work in groups where musicians and composers create and perform music side by side – across differences in experience, age and nationality. 

The clearest example is the 24-Hour Lab, where participants develop and perform a new work together within a single day. Here, fixed roles dissolve, and no one knows in advance what the final result will be. Guest artists participate on equal terms with everyone else, and according to the organisers, something special happens when the roles of composer, performer and teacher become less fixed. 

“There is a completely different energy in the intensity and sense of community that emerges when creation becomes a shared experience.” 

For the organisers, this is also about thinking more long-term about the musical ecosystem. In a field shaped by competition for resources, they see closer collaboration between composers and performers as a more sustainable path forward for contemporary music. 

Repertoire as a shared language 

Although co-creation is central, existing works also play an important role in the festival. The repertoire concert focuses on already written works – especially by Nordic composers – but without reproducing a traditional masterclass logic. Here, experienced musicians do not act as teachers but as collaborators working side by side with participants. 

The repertoire concert thus becomes both a presentation of works and an exchange of working methods and experience. At the same time, it offers international participants insight into what the organisers describe as a distinctive Nordic and Aarhus-based contemporary music tradition. 

As the organisers put it: Musicians and composers from abroad want to experience “the sound of what characterises Denmark and its contemporary music scene” – and the repertoire concert becomes a way of offering precisely that insight. 

From experiment to community 

A new element introduced in this year’s edition of Danish New Music Academy is audience development, included through a collaboration with the project TUTTI #2 - a nationwide networking initiative for chamber music societies, music festivals, and churches, with a focus on audience development launched by Art Music Denmark. 

While the festival's main focus is on participants’ creative processes, it is now also exploring how audiences can become more actively involved. This year’s edition includes an audience survey designed to explore visitors’ experiences of the festival – and whether audiences could imagine themselves taking on more creative roles. The aim is to investigate how contemporary music can open itself to broader communities beyond established circles. 

Ripples beyond the festival 

Danish New Music Academy first took place in 2022 and is now being held for the third time, but the organisers already see lasting effects from the earlier editions. Former participants continue collaborations, commission works from one another and form new artistic constellations after the festival. 

International attention surrounding the Danish initiative is growing – including within communities that originally inspired the project. At the same time, the ambition remains to strengthen the connection between contemporary music and more classically oriented musicians in Denmark. “It has always been our ambition to build a stronger bridge between contemporary music and the classical music environment, and we hope to continue contributing to that,” say the organisers.

Concerts

The concerts at Danish New Music Academy are all open to the public, they take place at Institut for (X) and The Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus and entrance is free. The repertoire concert on 6 August features a number of pieces from the Edition·S catalogue.

Concert #1  · 3 August · 19.30 – Athelas (Maria Isabel Edlund, Andras Spang Olsen, Andrew Power  and Helene Navasse) performing works by Xenakis, Reza Vali, Dai Fujikura, Christian Lindberg, Anna Thorsvaldottir and Andras Olsen

unm80_concert_008.dkdm

19:00 @ the royal danish academy of music

Carillion Dreams - by Hjalmer Liljegren (SE)

Abeyance - Louisa Palmi (NO)

Essences Italiennes - Marcus Hu (FI)

Rapids - Žanete Spirka (LV)

Sleeping With Sirens - Beata Juchnevič (LT)

Hvis man boede i et glashus

Program

Mikel Urquiza (f. 1988) Index (2021), Danmarkspremiere
I. Incipit (begyndelse)

Adrianna Kubica-Cypek (f. 1996) Strygekvartet nr. 2, “Full Moon” (2022)

Mikel Urquiza (f. 1988) Index (2021) 18’
II. Dix manières d’entendre la pluie (ti måder at høre regnen på)

Mads Emil Dreyer (f. 1986) Doldrums, inertia (2025), Danmarkspremiere

Mikel Urquiza (f. 1988) Index (2021)
III. Vertigine della lista (listens svimmelhed)

Athanasia Kotronia (f. 2000) Til Afrodite (2025)

Mikel Urquiza (f. 1988) Index (2021)
IV. C’est fini, les amis (så er det slut, venner)

Om Programmet

Mikel Urquizas strygekvartet Index introducerer med satirisk og citerende blik fire af strygekvartettens grundelementer: begyndelser, variationer, fortsættelser og afslutninger. Disse fire satser indrammer resten af programmet, som består af værker af tre af Danmarks mest spændende nulevende komponister: Mads Emil Dreyer, Athanasia Kotronia og Adrianna Kubica-Cypek.

Vi har ladet den smukke Sorø Klosterkirke inspirere dette program, hvor kirkens lange efterklang står i centrum og udnyttes til fulde. Vi undersøger, hvordan musik kan indgå i en dialog med det rum, den opføres i – i en sådan grad, at Klosterkirken næsten bliver aftenens femte musiker. Med næsten glasagtige klange, pauser og repetitioner, der giver plads til, at hele kirken kan “synge med”, udforsker vi, hvordan fire vidt forskellige komponister – på tværs af tid, sted og kunstneriske udgangspunkter – alligevel formår at skabe et sammenhængende kunstværk fyldt med krystaller og glashuse.

Copenhagen Contemporary String Quartet er Danmarks nyeste ensemble med fuldt fokus på samtidsmusik. Med en ambitiøs vision om at udbrede og formidle den stærkeste nye kompositionsmusik til et bredt publikum, spiller kvartetten udelukkende værker fra vor tid.

Hvert koncertprogram skabes specifikt til det rum, det opføres i, og til det publikum, der er til stede. Med afsæt i aktuelle tematikker og personlige fortællinger udvikler CC4tet formater, der gør den nye musik nærværende, relevant og vedkommende.

Med udgangspunkt i ét af den klassiske musiks ældste og mest brugte ensembleformer bruges strygekvartettraditionen som et afsæt for fornyelse – og CC4tet arbejder målrettet på at udforske og udvide, hvad kvartetformatet kan rumme i dag.

Kvartetten består af Amalie Kjældgaard og Sofie Thorsbro Dan (violin), Mina Fred (bratsch) og Andrew Power (cello).

Morten Ladehoff: Nyt værk for str4tet

Nicolai Worsaae: Nyt værk for sopran, str4tet, perc og orgel(er)

ECCO CONCERT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KYIV CONTEMPORARY MUSIC DAYS

ATHELAS invites you to a concert presenting six compelling examples of what is happening in European contemporary music today, expressed through the voices of composers from Ukraine, Hungary, France, Finland, and Denmark. Join us for an evening at Koncertkirken where Europe’s contemporary music converges, challenges, and inspires.

The ECCO Concert is the flagship project of the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA) for contemporary art music.

The programme will be performed by Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen under the direction of conductor Susanne Blumenthal and features six works selected from 146 submissions from across Europe. Audiences can look forward to a musical journey through diverse sound worlds, aesthetic approaches, and artistic perspectives.

Programme

• Anna Arkushyna (Ukraine) – Let Nobody but the Room

• Adrian Mocanu (Ukraine) – Kiovia: esplorazioni delle tenebre

• Balázs Horváth (Hungary) – quasi ciaccona metrica

• Sophie Lacaze (France) – Enough has been said

• Otto Nuoranne (Finland) – Vinous

• Joss Smith (Denmark) – Buttons Down the Back

The concert showcases both established and emerging compositional voices from across Europe, offering a unique insight into the international contemporary music scene today.

ECCO 2026 is organised by ECSA with the support of Creative Europe, in partnership with Kyiv Contemporary Music Days and Art Music Denmark.

Athelas is supported by the Danish Arts Foundation, the Danish Ministry of Culture, the Beckett Foundation, Knud Højgaard’s Foundation, the Louis-Hansen Foundation, William Demant Fund, and the Danish Tennis Foundation.

Dreyers film er en drømmeagtig vandring gennem tåge, stilhed og uro – et værk, der aldrig giver klare svar, men som kryber ind under huden med sit spøgelsesagtige filmsprog. Til dette univers har Joby Talbot komponeret en musikalsk underskov af dirrende strygere, skæve rytmer og transparente klanglag, som ikke blot ledsager filmen, men giver den en ny puls. Talbots musik forstærker filmens følelse af at svæve mellem virkelighed og mareridt, og på halloween-aftenen får dette møde en særlig intens resonans. L.A, Times skrev efter uropførelsen i 2018: “Talbots værk formår effektivt at blande det gamle og det nye, og finder en balance mellem nostalgiske, romantiske motiver og umiskendeligt moderne elementer.”

Aftenens dirigent, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, er kendt for sin præcise musikalitet, sin nysgerrighed over for nye klanglige landskaber og sin evne til at skabe en intens forbindelse mellem musikere og publikum. Som både komponist og dirigent arbejder han med en skarp opmærksomhed på detaljer og teksturer – en tilgang, der gør ham til et ideelt match for Talbots rige og atmosfæriske partitur. Holloway-Nahum er oprindelig fra USA, men bosat i London. Han er grundlægger og kunstnerisk leder for det anerkendte Riot Ensemble, med hvem han har ledet et stort antal verdenspremierer.

Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen er et københavnsk kammerensemble grundlagt i 1990 med et særligt fokus på opførelse af ny kompositionsmusik. De arbejder dedikeret for at præsentere ny musik i nye formater og tværkunstneriske sammenhænge og regnes i dag som Danmarks førende inden for samtidsmusik. Ensemblet samarbejder med en lang række toneangivende komponister, dirigenter og solister fra ind- og udland. 

Denne halloween-koncert er ikke et traditionelt gysershow, men en kunstnerisk fordybelse i det uhyggelige: en hyldest til Dreyers visionære filmsprog og Talbots evne til at lade musik og billede vokse ind i hinanden. Aftenen bliver en unik mulighed for at opleve Vampyr som et levende, åndende gesamtkunstwerk – netop på årets mest hjemsøgte dato.

Dreyers film er en drømmeagtig vandring gennem tåge, stilhed og uro – et værk, der aldrig giver klare svar, men som kryber ind under huden med sit spøgelsesagtige filmsprog. Til dette univers har Joby Talbot komponeret en musikalsk underskov af dirrende strygere, skæve rytmer og transparente klanglag, som ikke blot ledsager filmen, men giver den en ny puls. Talbots musik forstærker filmens følelse af at svæve mellem virkelighed og mareridt, og på halloween-aftenen får dette møde en særlig intens resonans. L.A, Times skrev efter uropførelsen i 2018: “Talbots værk formår effektivt at blande det gamle og det nye, og finder en balance mellem nostalgiske, romantiske motiver og umiskendeligt moderne elementer.”

Aftenens dirigent, Aaron Holloway-Nahum, er kendt for sin præcise musikalitet, sin nysgerrighed over for nye klanglige landskaber og sin evne til at skabe en intens forbindelse mellem musikere og publikum. Som både komponist og dirigent arbejder han med en skarp opmærksomhed på detaljer og teksturer – en tilgang, der gør ham til et ideelt match for Talbots rige og atmosfæriske partitur. Holloway-Nahum er oprindelig fra USA, men bosat i London. Han er grundlægger og kunstnerisk leder for det anerkendte Riot Ensemble, med hvem han har ledet et stort antal verdenspremierer.

Athelas Sinfonietta Copenhagen er et københavnsk kammerensemble grundlagt i 1990 med et særligt fokus på opførelse af ny kompositionsmusik. De arbejder dedikeret for at præsentere ny musik i nye formater og tværkunstneriske sammenhænge og regnes i dag som Danmarks førende inden for samtidsmusik. Ensemblet samarbejder med en lang række toneangivende komponister, dirigenter og solister fra ind- og udland. 

Denne halloween-koncert er ikke et traditionelt gysershow, men en kunstnerisk fordybelse i det uhyggelige: en hyldest til Dreyers visionære filmsprog og Talbots evne til at lade musik og billede vokse ind i hinanden. Aftenen bliver en unik mulighed for at opleve Vampyr som et levende, åndende gesamtkunstwerk – netop på årets mest hjemsøgte dato.