CoDI – Tradd CoLab

Paid opportunity for traditional music artists in Wales

Deadline for applications: 10:00 on Wednesday 14 January

As part of Tŷ Cerdd’s new programme supporting the development of traditional music, we’re running Tradd Colab – bringing together practitioners of the traditional music of any culture for 2-day collaboration residencies in our studio in Tŷ Cerdd.

We’ll bring together three groups of three artists: each group of three will spend two days exploring their music-practice together, along with Jordan Price Williams (Ty Cerdd’s Traditional Music Development Manager), who will enable and facilitate.

The Studio will be set up as a live room, and you’ll be able to record as little or as much as you like during the residency (which may be nothing!). The recording will simply capture the sound in the room, and be for archive purposes.

The Tradd Colab residencies will take part during the day in the Tŷ Cerdd Studio at Wales Millennium Centre (Cardiff) on the following dates*:

Group 1: 9th and 10th of March 2026

Group 2: 11th and 12th of March 2026

Group 3: 13th and 14th of March 2026

*(NB: you’ll need to confirm in your application that you’re available for all dates)

Artists will be paid £500 for taking part, and we’ll cover travel (outside Cardiff, within Wales) and accommodation if needed.

ELIGIBILITY

Artists working in any musical tradition (not just Welsh traditional music) are eligible to apply.

You need to have been based in Wales for at least a year (or you’re also eligible if you were born in Wales but are living elsewhere).

NB This pathway can't support anyone who's currently studying for an undergraduate or post-graduate qualification

Artists’ travel within Wales (outside Cardiff) will be covered. Please note that travel outside of Wales will not be covered. If you need accommodation, we’ll cover that too.

We recognise that many artists continue to face systemic barriers within the music industry. We are committed to addressing these imbalances through our work, and we warmly welcome applications from individuals who are under-represented or who have experienced neglect or exclusion within the arts community. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and neurodiverse people, artists who are Black, Asian or from the global majority, LGBTQIA+ people and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

We aim to make our application process as straightforward as possible, and we’re here to answer any questions you may have about the programme or how to apply. If you would like to have a conversation about your application, or would like to arrange access support, please contact Jordan Price Williams. We also invite the music-creators we work with to share and discuss access riders and requirements at any stage in the project.

We are proud partners and signatories of the Fair Access Principles. More info on this and our commitment to our Cornerstones is here.

APPLICATION FORMATS

Written applications are submitted through Airtable.

Audio and video applications are also welcomed. If you need help creating a link to your video, email enquiries@tycerdd.org for support. 

Welsh language: The sessions will be run bilingually, and participants are welcome no wherever they may be on their journey with the Welsh language.

If you’re interested, but you have some questions…

…we can chat with you directly by phone or Zoom. Email Jordan Price Williams  or enquiries@tycerdd.org to arrange a call. We want to remove as many barriers as we can – so if there’s anything you’d like to talk to us about, let us know and we will try to help to find a solution.

HOW TO APPLY...

 …upload the following information to our PORTAL. Applications are welcomed in Welsh and English.

1. Personal details: your name, email address, mobile number, address, confirmation that you are over 18. Please also include your website and social media handles (if applicable)

2. Tell us about your practice (Max 350 words)

Tell us about your practice as a traditional musician and what you’ve been most proud of.

Remember to tell us about the tradition itself that your practice is centred on.

3. Why would you like to take part in Tradd Colab? (Max 250 words)

Tell us how this would build on your previous experience and what you hope might change and develop in your music through taking part.

What are your thoughts collaborating with another musician – potentially an artist exploring a different musical tradition?

4. Examples of your work: please provide two links to your music

Please send links to single tracks (rather than full albums)

We encourage you to share examples that showcase your strongest work and, where possible, connect with your approach to this project.

For audio: please send links rather than sound or video files. These may be hosted on SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, etc. If you need help creating links, contact enquiries@tycerdd.org.)

We are also happy to accept phone recordings and social media videos of your playing. This can be as simple as suits you. If you’re sending phone recordings, please host on dropbox or similar and send a link. We can’t however accept WeTransfer, but other platforms without links which expire are welcome.

5. Do you have any access requirements?
This is an optional opportunity to tell us if there are any support / conditions you need to enable you to participate in the pathway. We invite you to share your access riders / requirements with us at any point in the project. NB: This info is not shared with the panel.

AUDIO AND VIDEO APPLICATIONS:

1. Record your answers to questions 2 & 3 above. (Max 5 mins duration: you don’t need to use the full five minutes, but include as much detail as you feel is helpful).

2. Upload a link to your recording, adding your Personal Details (Q1) and links to two examples of your work (Q5). If you need help creating a link to your video, please email enquiries@tycerdd.org

SELECTION AND PANEL

The panel will consist of:

Jordan Price Williams, Traditional Music Development Manager, Tŷ Cerdd

Deborah Keyser, Director, Tŷ Cerdd

Another panel member to be appointed

Applications will be assessed on the following criteria:

How applicants clearly communicate their practice and the relevance of their work/ambition to this opportunity (Q2)

Based on their answers to Q3.

The extent that the applicant tells us how this opportunity would benefit their practice short and long term (Q2 & Q3)

the impact of this opportunity on the applicant’s personal, professional and/or artistic development (Q3).

Music examples:

To what extent do the examples provided show potential, quality and originality

Feedback:

We will provide feedback to all applicants who request it.

TIMELINE & SELECTION PROCESS

Deadline for applications: 10:00 on Wednesday 14 January

The panel will meet shortly after the deadline.

We’ll let you know the outcome by w/b Monday 26 January.