OCM brings music, artists and audiences together in ways that encourage and create memorable and meaningful experiences for all.

OCM is a unique producer and charity that works to develop and present the highest quality and most innovative new music and sound-based live events, to engage diverse local and national audiences with our work, and to deepen understanding and appreciation of musical cultures from within the UK and worldwide. Our raison d’être is to bring music, artists and audiences together in ways that encourage and create memorable and meaningful experiences for all.

We have four strands of activity: concerts, new commissions/projects, education and outreach, and talent development. We aim to achieve our mission by:

  • Supporting artists in their professional and creative development
  • Forging inspiring partnerships that cross conventional boundaries within music, the arts and beyond the arts
  • Presenting excellent work from the UK and abroad that is highly engaging, relevant and accessible to diverse audiences
  • Developing and using innovative approaches to presentation and interaction
  • Developing and delivering participative projects with schools and community groups that nurture skills and offer personal fulfilment.

We believe in the ability of the arts to empower people and communities through self-expression, to allow people to question, imagine, challenge and dream.

 

Enviromental approach

 

At OCM we have been actively committed to reducing our carbon footprint since Director, Jo Ross, joined the organisation several years ago.

Producing and promoting new music has traditionally involved a significant amount of print reproduction. Under Jo, OCM moved over to Planet Positive Printing using a local, carbon neutral company, Seacourt Printing, who employ a waterless printing process, and haven’t sent anything to landfill since 2009. Whilst we still use these printers, we have reduced the amount that we print significantly since moving away from printed events programmes.

Climate Conscious WOW is the new, creative approach we’re adopting at OCM when producing and presenting the best new music.  It is an ever-evolving artistic practice that centres around climate-positive choices and climate justice.  This way of working (WOW) guides us in making inclusive and future-looking events with integrity.

Climate Conscious WOW essentially means: 
1. Artists and producers, together, making climate-positive and carbon-reducing choices whilst producing and presenting the best new music.
2. All collaborators talking about these climate-positive choices in every creative conversation, from the very beginning of a project.

Climate WOW is not only for ‘events about the climate crisis’; it’s an artistic practice that recognises that every new event produced today exists within a climate crisis. We intend to make this Climate WOW available to download for other organisations to use as a template in order to help other organisations to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint too. This document will be found on our Policies page in due course.



Awards

Ray Lee: Siren Commissioned and produced by OCM 2007 Herald Angel Award
 

Robert Jarvis: Echolocation Commissioned and produced by OCM Shortlisted 2008 PRSF New Music Award
 

Michael Zev Gordon: Allele Premiered and presented by OCM 2011 BASCA Composer of the Year Award
 

Ray Lee: Ethometric Museum Commissioned and produced by OCM 2012 BASCA Composer of the Year Award
 

Nathaniel Mann: Pigeon Whistles Created during Nathaniel's SAM Embedded residency with OCM and the Pitt Rivers Museum 2014 George Butterworth Prize

 

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England.

Supported with funding from Oxford City Council.

OCM is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner supported by PPL.

Affiliate Organisation of Oxford Brookes University.

We would also like to thank the following for their generous donations towards OCM's work: 

Christ Church, Jesus, All Souls and St John's University of Oxford Colleges.