We are delighted to share the programme for hcmf// 2025, with all ticketed events now on sale.
The UK’s leading festival of contemporary and experimental music returns for its 48th edition this autumn, running from Friday 21 – Sunday 30 November. Throughout its 10-day duration, Huddersfield becomes the primary destination for new music with a programme including 50+ premieres across concerts, installations, talks and workshops spotlighting globally renowned artists alongside rising stars.
From new and revised works by Bryn Harrison and Rytis Mažulis for Explore Ensemble, to Composer in Residence Sarah Hennies’ The Blue Hour (an extended duration duet for Sarah Saviet and Joseph Houston), the festival’s opening weekend is packed with commissions, which also include Laurence Osborn’s Mute (for London Sinfonietta) and Estonian composer/double bassist Mingo Rajandi’s musical examination of “femininity”. Other highlights include a return to our focus on music traditions in a contemporary context, with mid-week performances by RÓIS, Milkweed, Córas Trio and Brìghde Chaimbeul; hcmf// shorts – a smorgasbord of 14 free-to-attend, bite-sized performances – from midday to midnight on Monday 24 November; and inspiring collaborations with Sacrum Profanum Festival, Moers Festival and Cultures of Climate.
This year’s edition continues to celebrate innovative music from Finland, Ireland and Lithuania through partnerships with Music Finland, Culture Ireland, the Lithuanian Culture Institute and Music Information Centre Lithuania, as well as introducing an Estonian focus: a new partnership with the Estonian Centre of Contemporary Music highlights established and emerging voices, marking Arvo Pärt’s 90th birthday alongside premieres from Madli Marje Gildemann, Liisa Hirsch and Õie-Olinda Sachermann, whose forgotten works are resurrected by the Estonian Electronic Music Society Ensemble.
‘hcmf// has always been a platform for profiling new and exciting voices in contemporary and experimental music, and this year we do that in abundance! From the most comprehensive focus on American composer and percussionist Sarah Hennies anywhere to date, to radical new compositional voices such as Marta Śniady and Ville Raasakka, pioneering vocal ensemble Edgy Palates, and the small pipes sensation Brìghde Chaimbeul who is taking her instrument to places previously unforeseen.’
Graham McKenzie, hcmf// Artistic Director
Tickets are on sale now, available in Standard, Solidarity and Under 30 tiers. This year’s introduction of the optional Solidarity tier is to give our audiences the opportunity to purchase a ticket at a higher price (the cost of a Standard ticket plus 30%) to support the festival and the artists who appear on our stages. Affordable access to the festival for as many people as possible remains our highest priority, and the intention behind the Solidarity Ticket price is to provide an opportunity to pay a little more for those who would like and are able to, while keeping our Standard ticket price as low as possible.
Under 30s tickets are available to attendees aged under 30 as well as full-time mature student attendees of any age. Full and Opening Weekend Festival Saver tickets offer one of the best ways for dedicated attendees to experience the festival in depth.
The 48th edition of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, hcmf// 2025, takes place Friday 21 – Sunday 30 November 2025. Book your place at the forefront of sound.