Month of Contemporary Music 2025

Month of Contemporary Music 2025: Dates and Deadlines

In 2025, the Month of Contemporary Music will once again present the unparalleled richness of Berlin's contemporary music scene. The umbrella festival invites you to discover current works by Berlin ensembles, artists and composers in concerts, performances, and sound installations.

The Month of Contemporary Music is curated by the scene itself: ensembles, festivals, venues, and artists are invited to contribute events to the program. The initiative neue music e.V. and field notes only coordinate the individual events and take care of the cross-festival communication. Via the common framework of the Month, a wide range of activities can be adequately showcased and our diversity can be communicated to a broader public.

Attention: The Month of Contemporary Music will take place from mid-September to mid-October in 2025. This scheduling avoids the late summer holidays and is expected to reduce overlaps with the season openings of concert halls and theaters, as well as events of the Musikfest Berlin during this period.

Opening of the Month of Contemporary Music

Everyone can take part, everyone is welcome. This principle is important to us in covering the broad spectrum of positions. But since there is only one opening event, it is inevitable to make a selection for one project to represent the »Opening of the Month of Contemporary Music«. Although we cannot participate financially in the project, the organizers benefit from the additional media attention of the Month of Contemporary Music. To guarantee a fair and transparent selection, the opening project will be chosen by the jury of the inm.

Upon registration, you will receive the logo of the Month of Contemporary Music, which we kindly ask you to include in your print and online publications.

If you would like to submit an application for the opening of the Month of Contemporary Music, please take the following points into account:

Submission deadline: January 31, 2025, midnight (CET)

Framework Conditions:

• The event will take place on either September 10, 11, 12, 13, or 14, 2025.
• The venue must be located in Berlin.
• The venue should have a capacity of at least 250 people.
• inm / field notes must have the opportunity to host a public reception before or after the event.
• A ticket allotment for complimentary and/or discounted tickets should be made available for VIPs, press, and guests of the Delegates Program.

Selection Criteria

• Musical quality, dramatic coherence and level of innovation in the concept
• Professional execution
• Proof of several years of artistic activity in Berlin in the field of contemporary music

Required Documents

• Project description
• List of participating artists
• Venue confirmation
• Audio samples and web links

Please send the application to mdzm@field-notes.berlin.

The decision will be announced at the end of February.

We are, of course, available for any preliminary arrangements and are happy to assist you personally at any time. Feel free to contact us at mdzm@field-notes.berlin.

If you are planning to submit a project for the opening but are concerned about not receiving funding approval (Förderbescheid) in time due to the budget freeze, please contact us at mdzm@field-notes.berlin.

Taking Part in the Month of Contemporary Music

Please let us know as soon as possible – but no later than June 15 at mdzm@field-notes.berlin whether you will be taking part in the Month of Contemporary Music with an event. This will enable us to plan in good time and improve the visibility of the month. 
To register an event for the Month, it is also necessary that you submit your event directly to the field notes calendar by June 15 at the latest and tick the box »Part of the Month of Contemporary Music«. When you register, you will receive the logo of the Month of Contemporary Music to use on all promotional material in print and online.
Please note: To be able to submit an event to the calendar, you must first create an account on the new website. The approval of newly created account may take some time and will only take place on weekdays.

Submission deadline: 15 June 2025

Of course, we are also available in person at any time for any arrangements in advance. You can contact us at mdzm@field-notes.berlin.

Checklist and dates for the registration for the Month of Contemporary Music:

• Submission deadline for the opening: January 31, 2025, midnight  
• Submission deadline for all other projects: June 15, 2025, midnight  
• Entry of the event in the field notes calendar  
• When entering, check the box for "Part of the Month of Contemporary Music"  
• Send a brief email to register at mdzm@field-notes.berlin  
• Use the Month of Contemporary Music logo for all print and online publications