Dear Enquirer,
I hope you enjoy this, our new website.
As you can see, the festival although small
covers a wide range of musical interests.
Please feel free to contact us if you need more information.

Best Wishes,
Catherine Pluygers (Festival Director)

London New Wind Festival Youtube link

Book tickets for our upcoming events in advance via www.ticketsource.co.uk/london-new-wind-festival

Dates for this year's concerts announced --
see the Events Diary for details"

Dear Composers,
This is the first of two calls.  
The second shall be in mid-July and shall be for larger forces.
Postal submissions preferred:
 Catherine Pluygers, 119 Woolstone Rd,
Forest Hill, London SE23 2TQ
or email score  and any queries to:
londonnewwindfestival@gmail.com
Please ensure that we have your contact details.

NEW WORKS FOR FLUTE, OBOE, CLARINET AND PIANO.
Usual doublings apply 4 Players - one per part
Deadline July 27th 2026
IMPROVISATION
We seek open scores that can be played by a mixed ensemble of up to 7 players.  Inclusion of, response to artwork welcome.  Electronics considered.  
Deadline August 14th.
 
Catherine Pluygers
119 Woolstone Road
Forest Hill
London SE23 2TQ
 

STOP PRESS:

London New Wind Festival is the recipient of:
9th Annual Greater London Enterprise Award 
Most Innovative Contemporary Music Festival 2026
Emerging Composer Development Excellence Award 2026


Testimonials:

Michiko Shimanuki is a composer.
‘I heard about the festival back in 2006 through their "call for scores" during my doctoral studies. The London New Wind Ensemble premiered some of my works for my Ph.D. and I was able to include these in my portfolio which helped me a great deal towards the completion of my studies in 2011.
My composition "The Dreams and the Pendulum" was recorded by LNWE in 2012 and released by Ablaze Records, USA in 2015. This recording has been broadcast on radio stations specialising in women composers and contemporary music in the UK, USA and the Netherlands from 2014. 
To date, for almost 20 years, the Festival has consistently performed my music including a performance of “Purple Flowers” for chamber orchestra in 2025, "Si vous apparassiez dans mes rêves" for piano and chamber orchestra in 2024, "Ordinary Things in My Garden" for ten woodwind instruments in 2017 to name a few. I am extremely grateful for all their tireless work and words are not enough to describe my appreciation’.

Stephen Gibson, is published by UMP.
 Composer of ‘Three Hockets’, ‘Three Bells’, ‘24 Horn Bagatelles’, ‘Music for Summer Days’, ‘Polymonophony’, ‘Phosis 2’ and ‘Tribute’
all performed by London New Wind in the last ten years.
‘Performance opportunities in Britain for classical new music are currently at an all-time low, due mainly to funding shortfalls and to the way that new music competes for its funding with musical genres of more mass appeal. I am incredibly grateful to London New Wind for the many performances that they have made of my music where others would not. In general they are providing, on a small budget, the backbone for composers which was once fully funded by the Society for the Promotion of New Music. All the players are top-notch professionals and their director Catherine Pluygers has worked wonders in producing the Festival for over 20 years’.
www.newnotations.com

Jane Serter is a composer
‘I am delighted to praise and recommend the London New Wind Festival as it has included performances of my compositions over a period of more than half a century - which - particularly as a woman- has been very encouraging and gratifying, beginning at a time when women composers were not given the opportunities they have today’.

 

 

 
We are sorry to announce the death of trombonist Alan Tomlinson.

 

 
We are very sad to announce the sudden death of our co-director Robert Coleridge on Sunday 20th January 2019.

 

 

Robert's sudden death this year 2019 has been the most awful shock to all of us who knew, admired and loved him.
A great musician and a truly wonderful friend.

Robert came to London in 1973 to study at the Royal College of Music where he made many life-long friends.  He attained a BMus
(University of London), an MMus in ethno-musicology  (SOAS) and (much later) a PHD on the subject of 'The Relationship between Music and Dance'.  

He started out as a student living in digs in Queenstown Road Battersea with Catherine (Kitty) Pluygers and they had no less than Stirling Moss as their landlord.   After 10 years he moved to a (very nice) flat in New Cross and stayed there before returning home to Axminster in 2014 to help look after his (late) mother.

After leaving Royal College he needed to find work.  He worked as a freelance pianist/organist and linked up with the Cockpit Theatre.  He then went on to become the Head of Music at the prestigious Laban School of Dance.  (Laban was initially next to Goldsmith's College but then linked up with Trinity College of Music and moved to a purpose-built building in Deptford).  His role was to teach dancers about music academically and to work with them as a pianist both for their technical training and preparation for (immediate and future) performance roles.  Laban recently held a large reception event for him to acknowledge his contribution.

The combination of Robert's gentle character, depth of knowledge and superb musicianship led to a very varied and happy musical life in London.  He loved church music and also dance - but was particularly interested in contemporary music - music of the now.  He was as comfortable reading written music as he was working without music ie. improvising.  His knowledge about complex scores written by composers such as (Karlheinz) Stockhausen and (John) Cage, his interest in championing composers such as Cornelius Cardew and his ability not only to play but to compose music has led to innumerable collaborations with fellow musicians and artists.

In addition, for the last 20 years he has been co-directing London New Wind Festival with Catherine Pluygers.  He wrote for, played piano for, and conducted a close group of professional wind players who give three or four concerts each year of brand new music.
Each year the festival  asks composers to submit their new compositions and then selects the best pieces for performances.  This is a large undertaking as the festival presents around 20 first performances each year.

Robert will be sorely missed by his colleagues and they are hoping to hold a commemoration event for him in London later on in the year.