The Sounds of Gathering project brings together music festivals and concert presenters from Norway, Canada, Brazil, and Australia to explore ways to create spaces for gathering, and to share new work and ideas by Indigenous artists connected to the regions in which the partners are based.
Indigenous artists have long been underrepresented in established musical platforms, limiting visibility and reinforcing systemic inequities. Recent movements for Indigenous rights and cultural recognition have prompted the contemporary music field to acknowledge its role in addressing this marginalisation. In 2024, partners from four continents embraced the call for meaningful change, and began developing a global platform to support Indigenous creation in new music. Guided by an Advisory Committee made up of Indigenous composers, musicians, and researchers from the involved countries, the project aims to build strong connections between concert organisers, Indigenous communities, and local contexts, laying the groundwork for long-term impact on the global arts scene.
With the first formal event launching during Le Vivier’s festival “La Semaine du Neuf” in March 2026, the platform will begin its journey as a long-term, expanding initiative. While the project’s final form and its artistic outputs are still taking shape, it is envisioned as a multi-year framework of residencies, concerts, and gatherings with Indigenous artists from across the globe. Alongside these activities, the project will provide opportunities for concert organisers to reflect on their own practices, with a focus on diverse artistic practices and cultural contexts.
The project was initiated by the IN/PACT New Music Network and includes network partners Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival, Música Estranha Festival, Music on Main, and Le Vivier, along with the Canberra International Music Festival.
Indigenous advisers to the project include Dylan Robinson, Idjahure Kadiwel, Arve Nordland (representing Samisk Komponister), Nicole Smede, and Chris Sainsbury.
The partners gratefully acknowledge the Nordic Culture Fund’s support of the project’s development through the Globus FORWARD funding programme; support from the Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication du Québec; and support from the Délégation du Québec à l’étranger.
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