Open Call: Sustainable Composing and Creative Sound Practices – Course for Composers and Sound Artists

• Afrorack (Brian Bamanya) – Musician and pioneer in building electronic instruments from recycled materials. He leads a hands-on session exploring DIY sound technology, recycling, and creative reuse.
• Margrethe Pettersen – Sami artist and florist working with ecology, listening, deep time, and care. Through artistic contributions and conversation, Pettersen offers insights into a practice rooted in specific places, plants, and organisms — challenging the modern distinction between culture and nature.
• Jessie Cox – Composer and percussionist who works with Afrofuturism, listening, and critical theory. In his lecture, Cox invites participants to explore how sound can help us imagine new futures and rethink our relationships with each other and the environment.
• Espen Hjort – Artist and director who explores human–nature relationships through sensory, performative formats. He invites participants on an artistic walk in Østmarka, as an extension of the project Treework.
• Luis Fernando Amaya – Composer and researcher – leads the workshop/presentation Musical Exercises to Connect with the More-Than-Human.
• The Black Astral (Natalie Hyacinth) – Sound artist and writer – presents her work focused on nature and motherhood.
• Frazer Merrick – Sound artist working with field recording and handmade instruments. He shares his DIY, participatory practice that combines environmental sound, everyday objects, and electronics in surprising and poetic ways.
• Giuseppe Pisano – Researcher and composer – gives a talk on environmental awareness and ethics in field recording.

The full programme will be available at ultima.no.

About the course

This course is part of the year-long programme Sustainable Composing & Creative Sound Practices, exploring themes such as green audio technology, sustainable approaches to creative processes, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and local community involvement. It is a collaboration between Ultima, Nordic Music Days, and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, supported by Arts Council England, the Danish Arts Foundation, and Arts Council Norway. The course is organised in collaboration with Oslo Kunstforening and the Norwegian Academy of Music, and is also co-funded by the EU’s Creative Europe programme as part of ULYSSES.

Who can apply and how?

• The course is open to both emerging and established composers and sound artists, based in Norway or internationally.
• To apply, please fill out the application form here.
• Your application should include a short biography and a short text outlining your motivation for applying.
• Applications are processed on a rolling basis, and we will respond as soon as possible. Final deadline: 1 September, unless all spots are filled earlier.
• There are 15 places available.

Course schedule

• Wednesday 10 Sept: 12:00–21:00
• Thursday 11 Sept: 09:00–17:00
• Friday 12 Sept: 09:00–14:30

Practical information

• Participation fee: NOK 1000 for the full course
  (NOK 500 for members of nyMusikk, the Norwegian Society of Composers, or students at KHiO, IMV, or NMH).
  The fee includes dinner on Wednesday, lunch each day, and entry to selected Ultima Festival events on 11–12 September.
• Participants must cover their own travel and accommodation.
  We encourage environmentally friendly travel where possible and have set aside a small budget to subsidise long-distance travel via low-emission options such as train or bus.
• Participants are expected to be present in Oslo for the full duration of the course.
• The course will be conducted in English.
• For questions about the application, low-impact travel support, or course content, please contact project manager Torunn at torunn@ultima.no.