Jazz South Commissions scheme provides opportunities for emerging jazz talents
Mike Flynn
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
The south of England jazz organisation is opening its next round of funding opportunities for jazz composers and bands
Jazz South, the organisation that works to develop jazz across the South of England has announced Jazz South Commissions, a new three-part programme offering over £30,000 towards commission projects for artists working in jazz and improvisation in the South of England.
Focussing on innovation, ambition and artistic aspiration, the scheme covers three categories which include Platform South Commissions, which will involve six bands selected for the first round of Jazz South’s inaugural Platform South scheme, as well as two open-call initiatives: Jazz South Radar Commissions (JSRC) and Jazz South Breakthrough Commissions (JSBC) that will support 14 jazz composers at different career stages to create new work. The programme will launch with the six bands already selected and part-way through the debut round of Platform South’s scheme, the artists taking part are Fourth Page, Hexagonal, Iain Ballamy Quartet, Kate Westbrook and the Granite Band, Sara Colman Band and We Are Leif. In lieu performances to audiences in regional venues and programmes, each group will create a Platform South Commission, comprising new audio works for digital broadcast in the autumn.
The JSRC will support 10 jazz composers at all career stages with awards of up to £1,250 to create new pieces of original music for up to three performers. These will be digitally broadcast in late 2020, with a view to the new material being performed live in the future. The scheme invites applications directly from composers. While the JSBC is a creative development opportunity for early career composers, including four awards of up to £3,000 for artists to realise original, creative ideas. This will be supported by a package of mentoring, with each selected composer creating an original piece for digital broadcast from a venue in the Jazz South region in early 2021. Applications are invited from composers, organisations, or individuals (including promoters, clubs, festivals, venues, curators, and producers).
Jazz South Radar Commissions and Jazz South Breakthrough Commissions are now open for online applications with a deadline for submissions of Friday 31 July 2020 at 5pm.
For more info on how to apply visit www.jazzsouth.org.uk/current-projects/jazz-south-commissions/