Calling Cardiff-based musicians

 

Cardiff Council & Welsh Government (in partnership with Clwb Ifor Bach and Tŷ Cerdd – Music Centre Wales) are offering commissions to 2 Cardiff-based music-creator/performers – as part of the current Cardiff Music City development process. The commissions are offered in recognition of Cardiff’s thriving music scene, and with the aim of nurturing and sustaining development in the sector.

 

The two selected artists will each receive a £4000 global fee (to cover creation time, production costs, expenses) for a four-week creation/residency period from late-March. The residency relationships will be brokered and placed by the partners, in consultation with the artists.

 

We want to challenge artists to explore making work that develops their performance or production portfolio, with a view to performing the finished work in a city venue in autumn 2024 (in an event to be brokered by the partners). 

 

The purpose of these commissions is to encourage musicians to experiment and explore new ideas. We have purposely left the brief as open as possible, to allow maximum creativity and to avoiding limiting artists’ imaginations. We would expect successful applicants to present ideas that look to innovate and push boundaries of music-creation and performance.

 

These opportunities are to support the Cardiff Music Strategy. Our mission is to develop a unique city music identity that establishes in Cardiff a leading progressive, diverse musical movement, supporting musicians and music-making, grassroots music venues and homegrown talent.

 

To apply….

… upload the following information to our portal

1. Personal details: your name, email address, mobile number, address, confirmation that you are over 18

2. Tell us about your practice:  Tell us briefly about your career as a music-creator and what you’ve been most proud of. Please provide information to demonstrate that your career-stage, and evidence of online presence.  (Max 200 words)

3. Outline your project idea: Tell us about your creative idea for the commission – what work do you want to make, why and how? Please include a summary budget for your activity. Please be sure to tell us if you have any strong venue/studio relationships that you’d like to propose for the residency. (Max 300 words plus budget figures)

4. Do you have any access requirements? Tell us if there is any support or any conditions you need to enable you to undertake the commission and the residency.

5. Examples of your work? please attach 2 links to your music (film or audio only). [NB: please send links rather than sound or video files; if you need help creating links, let us know.]

 

 
Video and audio applications are also welcomed. Record your answers to questions 2, 3 & 4 above (up to 4 minutes’ duration), and upload a link to your recording, adding the information requested in questions 1 & 5 to the upload form. If you need help creating a link to your video or using the upload form, email us for help.

 

Timeline & process

• Deadline for receipt of applications: 1700 on Tuesday 5 March 2024 [NB the portal will close at 1701]

• The panel (Ruth Cayford & Kieron Jones of Cardiff Music Board; Guto Brychan of Clwb Ifor Bach; Deborah Keyser of Tŷ Cerdd – Music Centre Wales) will meet soon after the deadline

• We’ll let you know the outcome by Monday 11 March

• Creation period / residency start-date: 22 March

• Creation period / residency end-date: 22 April

 

Who is this opportunity for?

• This opportunity is open to individual music-creators who perform or produce their own music, and who live in Cardiff.  

• Applicants from any musical genre are welcomed. 

• We are looking for musicians with at least two years of professional performance / production experience, with evidence of track-record.

• We are keen to receive applications from individuals who are under-represented / have faced neglect or exclusion from the arts community; we particularly welcome applications from disabled people, Black, Asian and ethnically diverse people, LGBTQ+ people, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

 

If you have any questions about the commissions or the process, please email Ruth Cayford rcayford@caerdydd.gov.uk

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