A hard-hitting multimedia opera by Ukrainian composers Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumekio opens the 2022 edition of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (hcmf//).  Chornobyldorf heads up an exceptionally strong programme for the UK’s leading festival of contemporary music and new sounds.

The opera is part of the UK/Ukraine Season of Culture supported by the British Council and the Ukrainian Institute; all ticket income from Chornobyldorf will be donated to humanitarian charities in Ukraine.

The 45^th edition of hcmf// runs from Friday, November 18 – Sunday, November 27 2022. Online booking opens on Friday, September 9 and full details of the programme are published on the festival’s website today (Monday, September 5): www.hcmf.co.uk

hcmf// 2022 also has a special focus on three of the most original compositional voices in today’s new music scene. Swedish composer Lisa Streich is this year’s hcmf// Composer in Residence, with perhaps the most comprehensive survey of her work to date. Performances, including two World Premieres, will be given by Ensemble Intercontemporain, Riot Ensemble and Quatuor Diotima. British composer Philip Venables and the Lithuanian Justé Janulyté are featured composers.

The focus on Janulyté‘s work in 2022 is at the core of a new partnership with the Lithuanian Culture Institute and Lithuanian Music Information Centre which will continue over the coming years.

A second major partnership beginning at this year’s festival is with Culture Ireland, cemented by a visit to Huddersfield for Dublin’s flamboyant Crash Ensemble and a commission to composer/harpist Úna Monaghan. hcmf// is also participating in another major celebration taking place in 2022 – the UK/Australia Season – with performances by the Australian Art Orchestra, chamber ensemble Decibel and Speak Percussion.

 Other notable events include the World Premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning Diné (Navajo Nation) composer Raven Chacon, working with Marco Blaauw’s trumpet ensemble The Monochrome Project (Saturday, November 19: 10pm), while Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and composer Julia Holter ventures into astonishing and beautiful new territory with the World Premiere of her live soundtrack for art cult silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc, joined by her band and the 36-strong Chorus of Opera North (Wednesday, November 23: 7.30pm)

Another hot ticket is likely to be Moving Picture (946-3), Kyoto Version, composer Rebecca Saunders’ musical elaboration to a collaborative film by Gerhard Richter and Corinna Belz (Sunday, November 20: 9.30pm).

From France, the much-vaunted Ensemble Intercontemporain makes its first visit to the festival under the tenure of Artistic Director Graham McKenzie, and EXAUDI celebrates its 20^th anniversary with a concert of brand new vocal works. Festival regulars London Sinfonietta, Riot Ensemble, Red Note Ensemble and Quatuor Diotima bring programmes brimming with premieres and innovation, as do soloists Andreas Borregaard (accordion), Marco Blaauw (trumpet) and pianists Zubin Kanga and Andrew Zolinsky.

This year, the festival plays host for the first time to The Oram Awards (Thursday, November 24). Named after Daphne Oram, one of the members of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the awards build on her legacy and recognise innovation in sound, music and related technologies.

Graham McKenzie, hcmf//’s Artistic Director, commented:

“We are excited to return to a full ten days for the first time since 2019! This year’s programme reflects the world we currently live in; asks questions around identity and the changing relevance of borders; exploring who we are now, as a species on a planet in crisis.”

Commenting on hcmf//’s Swedish focus, Sofie Marin, Director Cultural Affairs at STIM said:

“We are delighted once again to present a Swedish focus in close partnership with hcmf//. It will be a breathtaking continuation of the relationship, with absolutely stunning music and performances. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the comprehensive focus on Lisa Streich – the second Swedish Composer in Residence at hcmf//”

And of hcmf//’s newly announced partnership with Culture Ireland, the organisation’s Director, Sharon Barry, commented:

“The Culture Ireland partnership with Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival is not just an opportunity for Irish artists to reach new audiences, it is also a testament to the strength and vibrancy of the sector in recent years, with composers and ensembles getting global acclaim. I look forward to celebrating this success as well as providing showcasing opportunities for emerging voices over the course of the three years of our partnership.”

 Aušrinė Žilinskienė, head of the Lithuanian Culture Institute said:

 “For our composers and performers, the direct collaboration with one of the world’s trend-setting platforms in new music is a huge accomplishment that took years to materialise. The joint efforts of the Lithuanian Culture Institute, Ūla Tornau, and the Music Information Centre Lithuania have resulted in a comprehensive three-year programme that should bring diverse benefits to Lithuanian composers and musicians.”

To view the complete hcmf// programme and for online sales (from Friday, September 9) go to: www.hcmf.co.uk