Contemporary Classical Music: Mainstream’s Poor Relation?

Julia Haferkorn discusses the challenges and benefits of working in the niche market of contemporary classical music

Julia Haferkorn has been working in the contemporary classical music sector for the past 20 years. 

Initially at Peters Edition, she promoted the music of Cage, Kagel and Ferneyhough. In 1998, Julia founded the artist agency Haferkorn Associates. 

Since then she has worked with a range of new music artists, including the Arditti Quartet, Apartment House, and Loré Lixenberg, and has set up concerts and tours all over Britain and worldwide. 

She was project manager for the Sound Circuit consortium of promoters and carried out the Arts Council England funded research project Mapping Contemporary Music Activity in Great Britain. 

With colleague Ed McKeon, she set up the production company Third Ear Music in 2010. Commissioned by Sound and Music, Julia wrote The Composer's Toolkit (2013) and The Composer's Toolkit (2014) for online publication. 

In June 2014, Julia was appointed Co-Artistic Director of BASCA's British Composer Awards. 

She studied at King's College London, obtaining a BMus and MMus in Music Theory and Analysis, while moonlighting as a producer for the BBC World Service.