At the end of November, the curious listeners of both experimental and new music once again make their way to the town of Huddersfield, to attend the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, or hcmf// for short.

This year marks the third year of partnership between Music Finland and the festival, with a special focus on Finnish music. The programme consists of a wide-ranging repertoire of music by Finnish and Finland-based composers and performers.

Maija Hynninen’s new work, which was commissioned by Riot Ensemble and hcmf//, will be performed at the festival. Throughout the composition process, Hynninen engaged closely with the performers. To Hynninen, the collaboration with Riot Ensemble was fruitful, and she felt that the group was open to all kinds of experiments.

“At first we brainstormed whether the percussionist could also play the piano, and it just felt right,” Hynninen states. The ensemble was happy to rise to the challenge, which in turn gave her the chance to diversify her palette of playing techniques.

At first we brainstormed whether the percussionist could also play the piano, and it just felt right – Maija Hynninen

Moreover, Hynninen found the lack of electronics welcoming, as in the piece the wide array of sonic energy – ranging from fragile textures to eruptive sound masses – is produced entirely through acoustic means. She found the deep expertise and knowledge that the members of the 11-piece chamber orchestra had of their instruments in the realm of experimental contemporary music particularly rewarding:

“I feel that it gave me the freedom to try out different things and at the same time a chance to take advantage of the full range of their instruments.”

Regarding the origins of the commission, Hynninen says:

“We first met with [the festival’s Artistic Director] Graham McKenzie at Musica nova in 2023, at a networking event organised by Music Finland, and again at Tampere Biennale in 2024. This led to me composing a chamber orchestra piece for hcmf//, an opportunity for which I’m very grateful to Graham.”

Watch a performance of Maija Hynninen's Mask the absence (2021) for violin and double-bass, written for and premiered at 5th International ilSUONO Contemporary Music Week 2021.

An opera examining social media mental health crises

Myself/Myself/Myself is a contemporary opera for singer, actress and electronics by Heinz-Juhani Hofmann (composition, sound design and libretto). Regarding the UK premiere, Hofmann says:

“The opportunity for the opera to be performed outside Finland, and especially at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, feels particularly meaningful and exciting.”

In the work, a young woman named Afrodite, colloquially known by her nickname Didi (performed by Annika Fuhrmann), is engulfed by a growing sense of psychological turmoil shaped by social media’s beauty ideals and pursuit of perfection, as well as by the cross-generational tension accumulated through Didi’s reflections on her mother (played by Pauliina Palo). Outside the opera itself, the life of Didi can be followed through her own social media account.

The opportunity for the opera to be performed outside Finland, and especially at hcmf//, feels particularly meaningful and exciting – Heinz-Juhani Hofmann

Originally premiered in 2024, Hofmann states that “Much to my disappointment, my operas have too often ended their journey after their first performances, even when they have been well received or even critically acclaimed. That is why I am delighted that this work will have a chance to continue its journey.“

The work is the first installment in the The Public Life and Death of Afrodite “Didi” Hakkarainen trilogy.

Watch a trailer for the opera Myself/Myself/Myself by Heinz-Juhani Hofmann.

Premieres of works by Lauri Supponen

A series of works by Lauri Supponen, the Composer in Residence for hcmf// 2026, will be performed at the event. The programme features the world premiere of Supponen’s East (2026), a work commissioned by hcmf// for Eva Zöllner (accordion) and Heather Roche (Bb clarinet). Supponen’s Picea (2021) for solo violin, electronics and live video, performed by Maria Schreer, has its UK premiere at the festival.

The saxophone quartet Saxtronauts return to hcmf// to perform the UK premiere of Supponen’s Ave Maris Stella (2019), a three-part concert installation realised through and live electronics and the construction of experimental instruments. Meanwhile, the trio SYKLIT features Lauri Supponen alongside Kalle Hakosalo on percussion and video artist Irene Suosalo on live visuals. Their performance is a live reimagining of previous works for choir and percussion, blended with influences from techno.

Saxophones as radars and hardcore punk miniatures

Saxtronauts (pictured above) will also give the UK premiere of Exobiology (2020, 2022), a piece by composer and sound artist Tytti Arola. In Exobiology Saxtronauts will practice saxyoga and operate their saxophones as radars, while their instruments are accompanied by electronic textures generated using a Buchla 200 modular synthesizer.

Ukrainian-born violinist Orest Smovzh, now based in Helsinki, will perform CONDENSED MUSIC, a striking collage of micropieces for violin that draws inspiration from DIY-noise shows, punk groups such as Terveet Kädet and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, alongside contemporary works by Petri Kumela, Kathryn Williams and New York Miniaturist Ensemble.

Marco Fusi will perform a series of works on violin and viola, including the UK premiere of Jarkko Hartikainen’s EMBODIED: Violin Solo (2018).

Hcmf//, one of Europe’s most prominent and respected events, highlighting Finnish works and musicians for the third consecutive year is a magnificent showcase for the country's musical landscape – expansive in its forms and sensibilities as it is distinctive in its voice.

Hcmf// 2026 begins on Friday, November 20, and continues until Sunday, November 29, in Huddersfield, UK.