Event Spotlight: XN (Xperimental Ncounters) 🗓️ Saturday 29 November 2025, 1:00 pm – 10:00 pm 📍 Various venues 🎟️ Day ticket: Standard £40 // Solidarity £52 Running from 2025 to 2027, XN (Xperimental Nounters) is a bold three-year exchange between hcmf// and Germany’s @moersfestival, uniting two of Europe’s leading experimental music platforms in a six-part international collaboration. Each edition features new collaborations, workshops, and performances, building cross-border connections between artists who challenge the limits of sound, structure, and performance. Following its debut at Moers in June, the hcmf// 2025 edition marks the second step in this evolving journey of creative risk-taking and cultural exchange. The day-long programme features a panel discussion with Artistic Directors Graham McKenzie and Tim Isfort, exploring the shared vision behind XN, alongside four performances that embody its spirit of exploration. The UK Premiere of Stefan Schultze’s @stefanschultzemusic Hyperplexia reimagines the piano as a futuristic sound laboratory, while Evi Filippou @evi.feelippou and Robert Lucaciu @picsandpigs weave a vibrant duo that dances between jazz, folk, and the avant-garde. Violinist Carolin Pook @carolinpook leads a newly formed quintet of UK musicians in a collaborative suite born from intensive workshops, and a new trio featuring Akiko Ahrendt, Annie Bloch @annie.bloch, and Emily Wittbrodt @emily_wittbrodt conjures a rich dialogue of friction and harmony. XN is a celebration of artistic connection, shared curiosity, and sonic innovation — a day devoted to expanding how we hear, create, and collaborate. Link in bio. Photo Credit: Stefan Schultze © Robert Hamacher Annie Bloch @ Leonie Braun Carolin Pook @ Tim Muller Emily Wittbrodt © Ludwig Kuffer Evi Filippou & Robert Lucaciu © Leon Maria Plecity Akiko Ahrendt © Frederike Wetzels

54 Jahre moers festival in einem Reel – eine Reise durch fünf Festivaljahrzehnte mit allen ikonischen Festivalplakaten! Aber wir blicken auch nach vorn: In nur 55 Tagen startet der limitierte Early Bird-Ticketverkauf für das 55. moers festival! 🎉 2026 feiern wir ein kleines Jubiläum – mit großen Highlights, besonderen Momenten und natürlich: ganz viel Musik! 📅 Save the Date: Der limitierte Early Bird-Vorverkauf startet am 28.11. – nicht verpassen! Moers, Pfingsten 2026, alle kommen! 🫶 ### 55. moers festival 2026 22. bis 25. Mai 2026

Open Call: X perimental N counters hcmf// & moers festival @moersfestival are offering 4 UK-based musicians the chance to join a 3-day workshop residency with Caroline Pook @carolinpook, culminating in a performance at hcmf// 2025! Workshop: 27–29 November 2025 Performance: 29 November 2025 Fee: £1,400 (travel & accommodation covered) Led by visionary composer, conductor, and violinist Carolin Pook, this residency invites adventurous, genre-crossing musicians to come together and create something new. Over three days, participants will co-create a new suite or series of pieces that showcase their individual voices while fusing into a collective sound. This is your chance to collaborate with like-minded artists, create a unique ensemble sound, and push boundaries in experimental music. To apply: Send your bio, a personal statement (300 words), up to 3 work examples, and completed monitoring form to Nathan Bragg-Beck info@hcmf.co.uk by 5pm, 9 October 2025. More details at the link in our bio. Image credit: Richard Mullany