Open call for Music Artists: Making Tracks Residency 2024

They select eight Fellows (exceptional emerging music professionals, and more experienced musicians deserving of wider recognition), usually annually, via their open call for artists. Relevance to one or both of their two themes is more significant than what genre of music you play. Applicants are asked to write about their musical background and interests, as well as provide some other basic information, including samples of their solo and collaborative work. This year they are evolving the project to further embrace interspecies as well as intercultural music-making.

During their artist residency (9th-22nd September) musicians receive professional development, incubate new collaborative works, and take time out to develop their craft and career plans. They then go on tour (22nd September-5th October), performing solo and collaboratively at 10 concerts, and contributing to 10 youth music workshops.

Making Tracks aims to strike a balance between showcasing solo talent as well as giving musicians the opportunity to collaborate on new projects and explore new musical styles and traditions. The collaborative component of Making Tracks is based on listening and a non-hierarchical approach, as musicians work together across cultural divides in pursuit of new musical possibilities. Ideally you should already have collaborated with other musicians before.

Cost Covered

• Making Tracks is a music exchange programme, which pays all expenses on top of a generous artist fee. While their format means that fees are not always comparable to a typical tour, they also give fellows a chance to create new collaborative works, perform at leading venues, establish lifelong musical friendships and receive professional development from their team of industry experts.

Who they’re looking for?

• They are looking for musicians who share their passion for the natural world, draw on it for creative inspiration and/or genuinely care about reducing their environmental impact. You should be open to exploring opportunities for music-based environmental engagement, whether practically, artistically, or both. Each year they have a different nature theme, which provides additional creative parameters, and they are increasingly embracing interspecies approaches to music-making.

Eligibility Criteria

• Artists
  • They are interested in musicians whose work is connected to musical traditions and/or environmentally-engaged artists. They care more about whether your work engages with one or both of these two themes, than about what genre you play. Making Tracks is particularly interested in collaboratively-minded music professionals who double up as community organisers, environmentalists, ethnomusicologists, writers, storytellers and more.
• Countries
  • Making Tracks is open to applicants from all regions, although the majority of musicians selected will be based in mainland Europe/UK (they only accept up to one artist per year from outside Europe, as part of the environmental responsibilities).
• Age
  • Their focus is on exceptional emerging music professionals, and more experienced musicians deserving of wider recognition. They consider all factors carefully and do not have a strict cut-off age, since they recognise that this can sometimes be limiting to artist development and equality of opportunity.

Selection Criteria

• Musical Excellence – A high level of performance, composition, improvisational, production and/or technological skill. Please note that they typically do not programme artists who play the same instrument in consecutive years.
• Collaboration – Openness to listening, and a willingness to reach across cultural and musical divides in creating original music or re-interpreting traditional music, while respecting the essence of each tradition.
• Environmental Engagement – Musicians who share their passion for nature, draw on it for creative inspiration, and/or care about reducing their environmental impact or spreading awareness of environmental issues such as climate change or biodiversity loss.
• Age – No strict age limit
• English Proficiency – Applicants should be able to converse in and understand basic English, as it will be the common language of the Making Tracks programme.
• Internet Proficiency – Making Tracks Fellows should actively use email and have a social media presence and/or an artist website.

For more information, visit Making Tracks.