contemporary music making for amateurs
phone +44 (0)20 7193 9787About CoMA
FAQ
What is CoMA?
What are CoMA's objectives?
What does CoMA do
Awards won by CoMA
What are CoMA's activities?
Is CoMA open to everyone?
How does CoMA work?
How does CoMA organise in the UK?
How does the CoMA Music Library work?
What does CoMA mean
by contemporary music accessible to amateurs?
How can I contact CoMA?
If you have another question please contact us
What is CoMA?
Contemporary Music-making for Amateurs is a UK organisation set up in 1993 to create contemporary music-making opportunities for amateur musicians.
What are CoMA's objectives?
CoMA aims to encourage musicians of all abilities to take part in contemporary music-making by:
- providing opportunities for the creation and performance of new music
- creating a high quality, contemporary repertoire technically accessible to amateurs
- building a network of amateur and professional musicians working to further these aims
What does CoMA do?
- Runs a successful annual Summer School.
- Has a network of contemporary music ensembles throughout the UK.
- Performs at music events throughout the UK. We have performed at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, the Spitalfields Festival, the Corsham Festival, the Bath Festival, the Oxford Festival, the Brighton Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, the ISCM World Music Days in 1998 in Manchester.
- Commissions music - 21 new pieces have been commissioned from leading such as Michael Finnissy, Dianna Burrell, Stephen Montague, and Deirdre Gribbin. CoMA is assembling a wide repertoire of contemporary music performable by amateurs.
- Takes part on the annual "State of the Nation" event on the development of contemporary music at the South Bank Centre in London.
Awards won by CoMA
1994
- BT/NFMS Enterprise Award
- PRS /NFMS Enterprise Award for programming contemporary music
- PRS/NFMS Enterprise Award - a specially created top award for CoMA for being 'in a category of its own - for courage and initiative in the programming and performance of contemporary music'
1996
- PRS/NFMS Enterprise Award for programming contemporary music
- Music Winner of Prudential Award for the Arts
- PRS/NFMS Enterprise Award for programming contemporary music
1998-2000
- Major award under the Arts For Everyone scheme run by the Arts Council for England
What are CoMA's activities?
Full details of all of our activities are on the activities page.
We also hold an annual Summer School at the end of July - details
of the Summer
School programme are on the site.
Is CoMA open to everyone?
YES. CoMA ensembles are open to all comers. CoMA seeks out pieces to play which give opportunities for players of all standards to perform effectively. Sometimes this involves flexible instrumentation, and the use of techniques which all players can use.
How does CoMA work?
CoMA is a membership-based organisation, with regional groups and ensembles throughout the UK, and a central office. It is a company registered as a charity, and is funded primarily through public and charitable sector grant aid. CoMA membership is 16 UK pounds, and members receive a free newsletter, details of all CoMA activities, and special offers on concerts and events.
How is CoMA organised in the UK?
CoMA has a central office in London, which works to produce the quarterly "CoMA News", holds a reference collection of music, and organises national events and funding. Much of CoMA's work is organised by a network of co-ordinators, in each region of the UK. They will always welcome new people contacting them. In many regions there are ensembles which meet regularly to make music, and sometimes to perform.How does the CoMA music library work?
CoMA has a collection of nearly contemporary music playable and performable by amateur players of various standards. It is a reference collection, and copies of pieces are only loaned to CoMA groups. Over 500 are now listed on this site and were selected for promotion by CoMA's Music Panel. Details are given of the duration, instrumentation, and level of difficulty are given, together with information on technical issues, a programme note, and how to obtain the music.
What does CoMA mean by contemporary music accessible to amateurs?
The definition of "contemporary" is, of course, open to interpretation: for CoMA this simply means the creation of works which are explorative and artistically challenging, as well as musically strong enough to satisfy the needs of both performers and audiences.
"Amateur", for CoMA, means anyone who is interested in participating in the creation of new music. Composers should therefore bear in mind that CoMA ensembles consist of a range of technical abilities and notational literacy. In addition, ensembles are often of mixed and flexible instrumentation. As demonstrated by many of the most creative and successful works in CoMA's library and repertoire, pieces which exploit these factors are likely to be most useful for regular performance.
If you are interested in writing for CoMA, please see the calls for pieces page and download and/or request the appropriate guidelines.
How can I contact CoMA?
Contact details can be found on our Contact us page.