The fifth edition of outHEAR New Music Week 2026 is set to take place in Thessaloniki, bringing together emerging composers, performers, and institutions working in contemporary music. Co-produced with the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, the event is described as one of the most significant international contemporary music events in Greece.
This year's programme unites 34 young composers from around the world, selected through an international open call. Throughout the week, participants will work with the internationally recognised Ensemble Klangforum Wien and students from the postgraduate programme "Performance Practice for Contemporary Music" at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Guidance will also be provided by composers and academics affiliated with institutions in Dresden, Graz, and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
A key feature of the 2026 edition is the introduction of a composition programme for a piano automaton, curated by inventor and composer Winfried Ritsch from the Institute of Electronic Music in Graz. The festival also maintains its focus on hybrid chamber music that incorporates electronic media, aiming to strengthen the dialogue between technology and contemporary musical creation.
The event begins with an international symposium titled "Fragile Present, Imaginative Futures," scheduled from 13 to 15 April at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. The symposium is open to the public with free admission, and English is the designated official language.
From 16 to 18 April, the programme moves to the Goethe-Institut Thessaloniki, where the festival functions as a lively 'laboratory' of creation, featuring rehearsals, lessons, and workshops accessible to audiences.
The week concludes with two concerts at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall. On 19 April, “In between bodies and machines” will showcase works for electronics, solo instruments, and piano automaton. A second concert, “Contrasting Currents,” takes place on 21 April and focuses on mixed quartet compositions.
Participating organisations include academic institutions and cultural bodies from Greece and Austria, with the event held under the auspices of the Austrian Embassy in Athens.
