The New Symposium
An International Forum and Online Residency Program for Composers, Performers, Researchers and Musicologists
[November 2025 - June 2026]
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The New Symposium is an international online residency program in artistic research in music. Through weekly sessions, it brings together composers, performers, researchers, and musicologists to engage in critical dialogue, present their works, exchange methods and ideas, and foster reflective practice.
The program culminates in an in-person gathering at Bled Contemporary Music Week [June 2026], where the working group meets on location, continues its research activities, and takes part in the festival’s concerts, symposia, and lectures.
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Format: Weekly online sessions via Zoom (Saturdays, 90 minutes); 1st session on November 8, 2025
For: Composers, performers, researchers, and musicologists
APPLICATION:
The New Symposium is a weekly online residency program that builds an international community of music practitioners and researchers. Meeting every Saturday on Zoom, participants present their work, share research questions, and engage in peer-led discussions that emphasize critical reflection and the practice of critical dialogue. Each session offers an open space for ideas, where diverse perspectives meet and participants are encouraged to question, challenge, and expand their approaches.
At its core, the program values dialogue as a mode of learning: composers gain new insights by engaging with performers, performers discover perspectives through dialogue with composers and researchers, and musicologists connect theory to practice. Working together week by week, the program strives for participants to strengthen their belonging to a collaborative group and establish international connections that extend beyond the program itself.
The program culminates in a gathering at Bled Contemporary Music Week (June 2026), where participants meet in person, join a collaborative laboratory, and take part in the festival’s concerts, symposia, and lectures.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR COMPOSERS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR PERFORMERS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR RESEARCHERS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR MUSICOLOGISTS
COORDINATOR: Brina Kren [Bled Contemporary Music Week producer]