About New Music NOW
Makers, players & connectors
Stichting New Music NOW stimulates new music from composers active in the Netherlands and brings innovation and curiosity to the heart of the musical landscape. We take on a guiding role for the public and contribute to increasing the reach of a (younger) audience. Together with our Do-It-Together network of composers, musicians, programmers, festivals, and music friends, we are building a growing movement around new music.
We challenge the misconception that 'classical music' means only 'Bach and Beethoven in concert halls', or that 'contemporary' refers exclusively to a particular atonal style. New music is a living art form. Today’s composers write music that speaks to and resonates with our times, allowing a diverse audience to relate to a wide range of themes, motivations, and styles.
New Music NOW has established itself as a central player in the world of new music through its platform, the annual festival Dag van de Componist (Composer’s Day), its media activities, and social media channels.
The New Music NOW music platform, featuring interviews, playlists, concert recommendations, news, and articles
Through Dag van de Componist, celebrating new music in cities across the entire country every year
By developing concert recordings, radio broadcasts and collaborations with numerous broadcasters, stations, and media platforms, New Music NOW brings new music to a wider range of audiences.
With an enthusiastic community of 'makers, players, and connectors', we make a difference. Together, we are composing the future.
New Music NOW Platform
The online platform newmusicnow.nl offers audiences musical inspiration through recommendations of concerts, premiers, and festivals, while also publishing music videos, interviews, concert recordings, and inviting composers to create playlists. It also features an overview of the entire new music network: from composers, musicians and ensembles to production companies, venues and festivals. Our biweekly newsletter keeps you up to date with everything happening in this vibrant world.
Dag van de Componist (Composer’s Day)
With the annual Dag van de Componist festival, the Netherlands celebrates the importance, value and joy of new music. The nationwide festival demonstrates the diversity of new music, showing that it can be heard not only in concert halls and theatres, but also from bell towers, in the streets, parks, train stations and living rooms. With more than 150 events in over 15 cities, Dag van de Componist is a festival unlike any other in the world. It takes place annually on and around the third Saturday of June. In 2026, the festival celebrated its fifth edition.
New Music Network
New Music NOW brings together a network of everyone passionately committed to new music. By joining forces as a sector, we are building a stronger presence in public life and fostering a growing musical community. Working together not only gives us greater reach in connecting with new audiences, but also allows collaboration between a wide variety of organisations to generate fresh artistic perspectives, opportunities for emerging talent and unexpected ways of broadening our audiences’ horizons.
Together with a growing and far-reaching network, we are working to embed new music more firmly in cities and regions across the Netherlands. As a platform, New Music NOW also creates more airtime and visibility for new music on radio, television and streaming platforms. Our network partners include composers, publishers, rights organisations, funding bodies, media partners, festivals, ensembles, performing arts companies, choirs, orchestras, opera companies, venues and umbrella organisations. Please get in touch if you are interested in working together.
