EXAUDI has a large and eclectic repertoire within the universe of new music, but our particular affinities are for its more radical edges: microtonality, maximal complexity, experimental aesthetics of different kinds.

We have made a particular speciality of ‘complex’ works of the 20th and 21st century – composers such as Finnissy, Ferneyhough, Dillon, Xenakis – but we are equally known for our commitment to composers of broadly ‘experimental’ aesthetics, from Cage, Feldman, Wolff and Lucier to Frey, Skempton, Joanna Bailie, James Saunders and Claudia Molitor.

Dozens of works have been written for us and we commission extensively. Recent EXAUDI commissions have included Laurence Crane, Michael Oesterle, Claudia Molitor, Amber Priestley, Aaron Cassidy, Evan Johnson, Leo Chadburn, Jürg Frey, Matthew Shlomowitz, Joanna Bailie, Geoff Hannan, Bryn Harrison, James Weeks, Newton Armstrong, Jeff Gavett, Cassandra Miller, Rytis Mažulis, Andrew Hamilton, Christopher Fox, Stefano Gervasoni, Jürg Frey and Newton Armstrong.

Our preference is for composers of independent, non-conformist outlook, generally working well outside the mainstream; we are also strongly committed to supporting the work of younger or emerging composers.

We are a member of PRS Foundation’s Keychange initiative, committing us to gender-balanced programming across our own-promotion concerts and commissions.

We also perform numerous ‘big names’ and classics of 20th and 21st-century music: as well as Ferneyhough and Finnissy (both of whom have written for us) we have sung much Birtwistle, Sciarrino, Rihm and Nono as well as selected repertoire by such figures as Holliger, Furrer, Dusapin, Kagel, Cardew, Castiglioni, Ligeti, Scelsi, Xenakis, Pesson, Poppe, Posadas and Pärt.

Since 2018 we have been proud to work with CoMA on its Partsongs initiative, creating and propagating new experimental repertoire for vocal ensemble, and have given several world premieres of newly-commissioned works from the scheme.

Since our first concert in 2002 we have frequently combined contemporary works with pieces from the medieval, Renaissance and early baroque periods, including music by Machaut, composers of the Ars Subtilior, Josquin, Brumel, Tallis, Byrd, Lassus, Victoria, Vicentino and Schütz.

Our most extensive exploration of links between early and new music is our ongoing EXAUDI Italian Madrigal Book project, launched in 2012 and pairing new commissions by composers including Finnissy, Fox, Evan Johnson, Gervasoni, Catherine Kontz and James Weeks with works by Arcadelt, Monteverdi, Gesualdo and others.

See our current repertoire list.

COMMISSIONS and NEW WORKS

If you would like to commission work for us to perform or discuss the possibility of performing a particular new work, please contact us. Composers are very welcome to send us unsolicited scores. We do however reserve the right not to enter into discussion about projects that we are unable to take further.