COMMON GROUND

The Nest Collective’s brand new paid artist development programme for 2026 - 2028

At The Nest Collective, one of our favourite things about contemporary Britain is that there are people here making music from dozens of different folk traditions

This project is about bringing together folk musicians based in England to share their traditions and create new repertoire

We are searching for six individual musicians to form three brand new duos

Applications open 1st November and close at 9pm on 30th November 2026

Successful applicants will develop, rehearse, record, and perform new music together through a year-long programme of support.

You might be an accordionist playing country dance tunes; a virtuoso on mbira, duduk, or nyckelharpa; a composer turning ancient tunes into new work; or even an electronic musician inspired by folk. If folk music (from anywhere in the world) is part of your practice, we want to hear from you, and support you to make new music.

Complete your application form below, including a video telling us about you and your music.

An expert panel will decide the six musicians from our applicants and pair them up: Nest Collective Director Thom Ashworth, Booking agent Angie Rance, Producer & Tour booker Barney Jeavons, and BBC Radio host Lopa Kothari.

Common Ground has been made possible by funding from Arts Council England.

Note: Please only apply as an individual musician, our panel will pair you to form new duos

Apply now

The programme includes:

Winter 2026

  • Workshop day with shortlisted applicants (December - date TBC)

Spring 2027

  • Five days of paid development and rehearsal time*

  • Tailored mentoring from highly trained musicians, composers, and performers**

  • Work in progress for an audience of industry professionals and Nest supporters (date TBC)

Summer 2027

  • Paid performance at Magpie’s Nest Festival in London (12 June 2027)

  • Paid performances at Campfire Club events in London, Brighton, and Nottingham (24-26 June or 8-10 July or 22-24 July 2027)

Autumn 2027

  • Studio recording, mixing and mastering, plus marketing and PR support for an EP release

  • Professional live performance video

  • Interview on our Notes From The Nest podcast

  • Business-specific mentoring from industry professionals

Spring 2028

*Rehearsal venue and dates to be agreed by selected artists

**Mentoring can be delivered in person or via video call, dates to be agreed by artists and mentors

Selection Panel

Angie Rance

Booking Agent
Earth Agency

Angie works internationally to grow and creatively strategise the live careers of a diverse range of artists, traversing a range of genres including folk, indie, experimental, jazz, contemporary-classical and rock music.

See Angie’s roster

Barney Jeavons

Producer & Tour Booker
Kick Arts UK

Barney is a producer, music manager, booking agent and arts consultant.

He has also been an Associate Lecturer in music business at UCA, part of the team at Music Venue Trust, and mentor with FolkExpo.

Kick Arts UK

Lopa Kothari

Presenter
BBC Radio 3

Lopa gave up a career in investment banking to indulge her love of music and as a result has enjoyed a career as diverse as her CD collection.

She hosts Music Planet on BBC Radio 3, showcasing the best roots-based music from across the world.

Music Planet

Thom Ashworth

Director
The Nest Collective

Lead programmer and sound engineer for all our of our events.

Thom has worked in the music industry for more than 20 years as a performer, composer, sound engineer, and promoter.

Application form

Please complete the form below

Your application must include a video (maximum length 3 minutes) telling us about things like:

  • You and your practice

  • How you’re connected with traditional music

  • The stories you want to tell with your music

  • What would excite you the most about collaborative music making

  • Previous collaborations you’ve been part of (if any / this is not essential)

  • We’re not looking for an expert video editor - please don’t worry if it’s just a phone video!

Please note that you must apply as an individual. Our panel will pair you into a duo.

Submissions close at 9pm on November 30th