Big Music Project

Big Music Project The Big Music Project was an international arts initiative established in the 2010s that aimed to commission, produce, and disseminate large-scale musical works and participatory performances across Europe, North America, and Asia. It engaged ensembles, composers, cultural institutions, broadcasters, and festivals to create interdisciplinary productions involving orchestras, choirs, pop artists, contemporary ensembles, and community groups. The Project interfaced with funding bodies, foundations, and media partners to expand access to new music and cross-genre collaborations.

Background and Origins

The Project was founded amid renewed interest in large-scale artistic commissioning after the successes of initiatives linked to BBC Proms, Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Early supporters included philanthropic organizations such as the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Arts Council England, and patrons associated with institutions like the Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, National Gallery of Art, and Museum of Modern Art. Influences on its founding included landmark commissions from Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, John Adams, Steve Reich, and collaborative projects staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Avignon Festival, and Bayreuth Festival. The Project’s inception involved collaborations with contemporary music ensembles such as Ensemble InterContemporain, London Sinfonietta, Kronos Quartet, and choral groups modeled on networks including King's College Choir and Swingle Singers.

Objectives and Activities

The Project’s stated objectives encompassed commissioning new large-scale compositions, fostering collaborations between canonical institutions and popular artists, and developing educational outreach with conservatoires, youth orchestras, and community choirs. Activities included commissioning composers like Hans Zimmer, Arvo Pärt, Kaija Saariaho, Thomas Adès, and Caroline Shaw; arranging residencies with ensembles such as Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Orchestre de Paris; and partnering with festivals including Glastonbury Festival, SXSW, Montreux Jazz Festival, and Tomorrowland. The Project also organized workshop series with conservatories like Juilliard School, Royal Academy of Music, Royal Conservatory of Music (Toronto), and Conservatoire de Paris, and collaborated with broadcasters such as BBC Radio 3, NPR Music, Deutsche Welle, and Radio France.

Structure and Governance

The Project was governed by a board drawing trustees from cultural institutions including British Council, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and arts organizations such as Serpentine Galleries and Barbican Centre. Operational leadership combined artistic directors, executive producers, and advisory panels featuring representatives from orchestras like Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, opera houses including La Scala, Metropolitan Opera, and contemporary music organizations like IRCAM. Funding and oversight involved liaison with international funders: European Cultural Foundation, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and national ministries such as Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (United Kingdom), Ministry of Culture (France), and National Endowment for the Arts. Legal, production, and touring functions were supported by partners including Warner Music Group, Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, and independent promoters like Live Nation.

Notable Projects and Collaborations

Notable undertakings included multi-site commissions staged across venues such as Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Teatro Colón. High-profile collaborations paired composers and popular artists—for example, projects invoking the practices of David Bowie, Björk, Radiohead, Paul Simon, and Kendrick Lamar alongside contemporary composers influenced by Pierre Boulez, Oliver Knussen, Gustav Mahler, and Arnold Schoenberg. Cross-disciplinary works involved choreographers and companies like Pina Bausch, Martha Graham Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and visual artists associated with Anish Kapoor and Yayoi Kusama. Recordings and releases were distributed through labels including Deutsche Grammophon, ECM Records, Sony Classical, and Nonesuch Records, and previewed at media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel, and The Washington Post.

Impact and Reception

Critical reception ranged from acclaim in outlets like The Times (London), The New Yorker, Gramophone, and Pitchfork to debate in cultural commentary platforms including The Atlantic, The Economist, and Le Figaro about institutional collaborations with popular music. The Project influenced commissioning practices at institutions like BBC Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, and inspired initiatives at conservatoires including Curtis Institute of Music and Royal Northern College of Music. Community and education outcomes were reported by partners such as SingUp, El Sistema, and Youth Music, while festival programming shifts were documented at Edinburgh International Festival, Auckland Arts Festival, and Woodstock-adjacent commemorations. Awards and recognitions connected to Project commissions included nominations and prizes from Grammy Awards, Ivor Novello Awards, Laurence Olivier Awards, and Mercury Prize.

Category:Music projects Category:Music organizations