Goldsmiths University London, 10th & 11th April, 2026
The first microtonal festival in London since UKMicroFest 4 in 2012! The first microtonal festival in the UK since ‘Beyond the Semitone’ in Aberdeen in 2013! Hyperchromatic Music Festival returned in 2026.
See the YouTube channel for livestreams or videos here. PDFs of the presentations and or lecture notes will be available by joining the Microtonal Projects’ Resources Folder (see bottom of the page here ).
Details: jhgusmano@gmail.com
As ever, it was a brilliant opportunity to meet up in London with like-minded people, watch lectures and hear live microtonal music as part of a public listening and a live concert.
Presenters included Emily Koh, Richard Whalley, Geoffrey Cox, Eddie Clijsen, Angus Barnacle, and Joseph Gusmano.
Performers included Stephen Altoft (microtonal trumpets and flugelhorn), Lore Amenabar Larrañaga (quarter-tone accordion) and Carla Rees (quarter-tone flutes) performing works by Stephen Altoft, Eddie Clijsen, Jim Dalton, Sam Hayden, Ben Lunn, Coreen Morsink and Eleri Angharad Pound.
Details here.
Crowdfunding campaign to cover artist’s costs
Day 1– 10th April
Lectures:
Eddie Clijsen 11-11:40
Phillip Singleton 11:40-12:30
Break 12:30-13:10
Richard Whalley 13:10-14:00
Listening Session 19:00-21:00
The Listening Session will feature music or videos by:
Tolgahan Çoğulu, Maddie Ashman, & Dorukhan Yaldız
Orlando Zavala Galindo
Paul Rhys
Jakob Heinemann
Nathan Plante
Richard Whalley
Michael Hugh Dixon
Dan Antoniu
Julian Woods
Hyperchromatic Music Festival Day 1 Conference Livestream Link
Hyperchromatic Music Festival Day 1 Listening Session Livestream Link
Day 2- 11th April
Lectures:
Geoffrey Cox 11:00-11:40
Angus Barnacle 11:40-12:30
Break 12:30-13:10
Emily Koh (remote) 13:10-14:00
Concert 19:00-21:00
Hyperchromatic Music Festival Day 2 Conference Livestream Link
Hyperchromatic Music Festival Day 2 Concert Livestream Link
Hyperchromatic Music Festival is supported by Goldsmiths University, the Royal Musical Association and Microtonal Projects.
Hyperchromatic Music Festival 2025
Organised by our partner-in-microtones, Joe Gusmano it included lectures and concerts featuring Stephen Altoft (microtonal trumpets and flugelhorn), Lore Amenabar Larrañaga (quarter-tone accordion), Carla Rees (quarter-tone flutes), Eddie Clijsen (Composer), Pedro Finistera (composer), Joe Gusmano (Composer), Brian Inglis (Composer) and Elizabeth Knatt (Recorder), Jamie Benzies (oud) and Paul Rhys (Composer).
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hyperchromatic-music-festival-tickets-1283827866709?aff=oddtdtcreator
Live Streaming was via the Goldsmiths Music YouTube Channel. The videos are still there, under ‘Live’.
Press Release:
This event brought together composers, performers, and lecturers from around the world to explore systems of music which use a much wider pallet of notes than those found in 12-note chromatic music. Lecturers and students from Goldsmiths University, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Middlesex University, Microtonal Projects, Yehudi Menuhin School, and De Montfort University presented their unique approaches to hyperchromatic music.
Attendees had the opportunity to attend two days of lectures designed to provide them with practical and theoretical tools for approaching these new tonal horizons. Following each lecture, all were invited to attend evening concerts in which these tools were put to use. All events were free to attend and were held at Goldsmiths University. Lectures ran from 12-2pm at Room LG01 in the Professor Stuart Hall Building and concerts ran from 5-6:30 at the Deptford Town Hall on April 14th and 15th.
Monday April 14th: Lectures
LG01 Professor Stuart Hall Building, 12pm-2pm
Joseph Gusmano
Stephen Altoft
Brian Inglis
Jamie Benzies
Concert, 5-7pm (DTH):
Don’s Vision – Geoffrey Cox 5’ (quarter-tone flugelhorn)
Recorder etudes – Brian Inglis 10’
–Paraphrase on “O virgo mediatrix”
–Tema con tranzformazini
Sand Walking WP from Six Times One (2020) – Donald Bousted (fixed media, quarter-tone trumpet and quarter-tone accordion) 1’20”
Vices – Jamie Benzies 5’ (guitar)
Life Speaks – Jamie Benzies 5’ (guitar)
Mono Equinos P’agapa – Cretan folk song 2’ (oud and violin)
Husseini Perser – Latvaci Andon 8’ (oud and violin)
Tremor – Joseph Haible Gusmano 2’ (quarter-tone banjo)
Mikrotonale Etuden – Matthias S. Kruger QT 3’
Anathema – Joseph Haible Gusmano (quarter-tone flugelhorn and 2 pianos) – 2’
Tuesday April 15th: Lectures
LG01 Professor Stuart Hall Building, 11am-2:30pm (LG01 PSH)
Lectures:
Joseph Gusmano
Stephen Altoft
Lore Larrañaga
Pedro Finisterra
Paul Rhys
Carla Rees
Eddie Clijsen
Concert, 5-7pm:
Ludd’s Church – Richard Whalley 5” (19-div trumpet and multitracks)
Kerata for Straton – Coreen Moorsink 3’ (19-div trumpet)
Das Sprichtwort Spricht 2’- Joseph Haible Gusmano (voice and quarter-tone accordion)
Die Stimme der Stadt – Christopher Fox 8’ (quarter-tone accordion)
L’eaurelle – Veli Kujala 4’ (quarter-tone accordion)
Submerged – Pedro Finisterra (Lumatone) 5’
Dreams from an Old Memory – Pedro Finisterra (MIDI Keyboard) 7’
Geïsoleerd – Edward Clijsen (2024) (Kingma system alto flute) ~12’30”
Fanti – Sungji Hong 5’ (Kingma system alto flute)
Eosphoros – Claes Biehl 5’ (Kingma system alto flute)
Die-Cuts – Maximiliano Soto Mayorga 2-3’ (19-div trumpet)
Dialogue – Paul Rhys 12’ (19-div trumpet and electronics)
For inquiries about attendance at future events, please reach out via email to:
Joseph Gusmano