September 1999   spnm welcomes Joanna MacGregor - Artistic Director 1999-2000. Starting in September the spnm 1999/2000 season led by Joanna MacGregor, promises to give food for thought and big opportunities for performances of new work. 1999 - 2004: New work for children spnm's 5 year initiative to create new and sophisticated repertoire for children to perform as well as listen to. Sponsored by the Alan Fluck Fund through the Musician's Benevolent fund, and the Britten Pears Foundation, this scheme will provide selected composers with a programme of activity which will generate the composition of new work for children to perform. The process will be truly collaborative and involve: mentoring sessions; close work with selected primary schools; try out sessions; performances and productions of the completed works; publication of "how to" pack for other schools and teachers to perform. Mentors and leaders for this year include: Joanna MacGregor; Alasdair Nicolson; David Knotts; Ronald Corp; Richard Williams, formerly Artistic Director of the Unicorn Theatre in London.1999 / 2000 PRS Adopt a Composer in association with NFMS and spnm. 5 composers are invoted to create five new works with amateur orchestras across the country. Diary dates so far… 15th September: Closing date for spnm Council nominations. Written nominations plus biography of 150 words to the spnm offices by 15th September 1999. 23 September: Council Meeting, 5pm, Francis House. 12 October: "New work for children" Public panel discussion led by Joanna MacGregor and Richard Williams. 2.30pm The Drill Hall, 16 Chenies Street, London. In association with the Drill Hall and OMTF as part of their month long ‘Take Note’ season. 28 October: Firebird Ensemble, St Paul's Church, Huddersfield. 11-5 - workshop; 7.30pm - concert. New works from shortlisted composers, Mary Bellamy, Dai Fujikara, Isobel Bowler and Michael Wolters. 31 October: City of London Sinfonia read through selected new works for orchestra with Conductor Marin Alsop and composer Alasdair Nicolson. Henry Wood Hall - London 1st / 2nd November: Paragon Premieres - Glasgow and Edinburgh. In collaboration with Scotland's Paragon Ensemble 3 shortlisted works by Cameron Sinclair, Timothy Raymond and Marcos Vieira Lucas receive their first performances 5th November: Selected piece from the orchestral read through on 31 October will be performed in the evening concert as part of the CLS' new music weekend at the Barbican. 13th November: spnm and SAN present a club experience at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool. Joanna MacGregor and shortlisted DJ's Matthew Wright and Tom Wallace. 16th November: Workshop and Concert at the London College of Music and Media with Sounds Positive. 20th November: spnm presents The Duke Quartet and Friends at the Huddersfield Festival. Concert of shortlisted works by Vladimir Jovkovich, Rachel Leach, Guto Puw, Matthew Wright plus music by David Lang and Kevin Volans. Presented by Joanna MacGregor and David Lang. December 1999: TBC: Read through of shortlisted Orchestral pieces with BBC National Orchestra of Wales. 18th/19th March 2000: TBC: Sounds New, Chelmsford Workshop and concert of works for voice and Ensemble with James MacMillan and members of the Britten Sinfonia. 15/16 April 2000: London Sinfonietta's State of the Nation Weekend. Performance and workshop opportunities over the course of the weekend at the South Bank Centre. 27 /28 May 2000: spnm, the Liverpool Tate, Ensemble 10.10 of the RLPO and many more at the Albert Dock in Liverpool in collaboration with the Liverpool Tate, the RLPO, BBC Music Live and Liverpool Hope University. September 2000: Steve Martland takes over artistic reins from Joanna MacGregor. December 2000: National Youth Ballet: premiere of new collaboration between spnm and NYB Still to come: nationwide performances of new works for children; PRS Adopt a Composer performances; Dance Blitz 2000 at the RFH; Hoxton Festival 2000; Lontano; John Paul Jones; Peter Wiegold's concentrated composition sessions; Joanna MacGregor, Cage and the Gamelan; and more from the shortlist. The monthly listings magazine new notes is essential reading for composers, performers, and everyone interested in what's new in new music. In its printed version new notes reaches over 5,000 contemporary music enthusiasts in the UK and around the world. If you promote new music events you should advertise them in new notes. Single concert listings are just £60+VAT. The magazine also features ads for festivals, composer competitions, recordings and more. new notes also features monthly articles on issues at the forefront of new music special offers on CDs, tickets, scores and books for spnm members information about forthcoming spnm events a free classified section for spnm members' non-trade ads. For full details on advertising or inserting leaflets in new notes please contact the Editor Rachel Duncombe: e-mail telephone fax

Event listings for this month   Previous articles: July/August 1999 Spectrum 2 - miniatures for piano. June 1999 Hoxton Hall New Music Days. May 1999 Bath International Music Festival is 50. April 1999 Who is Georges Aperghis? March 1999 On frost, birth and death February 1999 Keeping busy... January 1999 Now that's what I call contemporary! December 1998 Forty years of madness? November 1998 To plug in or not to plug in? October 1998 No, honestly it is a cello September 1998 Composing for film July/August 1998 New music on old instruments June 1998 Blue sheep of record companies May 1998 spnm looks to the future April 1998 New Music 98 in Manchester