CTM Festival Open Call: €6,000 In Listening 2027 Commission

Develop a new hybrid radio and live work for CTM Festival 2027 in Berlin. Two selected projects will each receive a €6,000 commission, production support, travel, and accommodation.

CTM Festival Open Call

The CTM Festival open call for In Listening 2027 invites artists working with experimental sound practices and audio art to propose new hybrid works that combine a live presentation with an original radio production. Two selected projects will each receive a €6,000 commission, production support, travel to Berlin, and accommodation during the festival period. The commissioned works will premiere during CTM Festival 2027 in Berlin before being developed into a radio work for Deutschlandfunk Kultur. Applications close September 6, 2026, at 23:59 (UTC+2).

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CTM Festival Open Call Snapshot

What: In Listening 2027 is an open call for two newly commissioned hybrid works that combine a live presentation with an original radio production. Projects must be grounded in experimental sound practices and audio art and respond to the CTM Festival 2027 theme, Process…ing.
Who: Artists working with experimental sound practices and audio art. Individual artists, duos, and groups may apply. Applications must be submitted in English.
Where: Berlin, Germany.
Award / Support: Two commission fees of €6,000 each; technical and staging costs for the CTM presentation following discussion with CTM; technical and staging costs for a possible presentation at ORF musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst following discussion with the organizer; possible radio production support from Deutschlandfunk Kultur, including translation, voiceover, and recording studio costs following discussion; travel to Berlin; accommodation during the production and festival period; production support and counseling from CTM Festival and Deutschlandfunk Kultur.
Application Fee: FREE
Deadline: September 6, 2026, 23:59 (UTC+2, Berlin Time)
Official Link:
https://www.ctm-festival.de/festival-2027/open-calls/in-listening-2027
Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/ctm-festival-000-166036415

Get the Application Strategy

The In Listening 2027 commission asks applicants to develop a project that functions successfully in two distinct formats: a live presentation and an original radio work. Successful applications will demonstrate a clear artistic concept, an understanding of listening as the central medium, and a realistic production plan that aligns with the technical framework described in the call. Practitioner Members receive Strategy Coach Notes that examine the application materials, production requirements, reviewer priorities, and practical strategies for developing a competitive proposal.

Get The Strategy

About the CTM Festival Open Call

The In Listening 2027 commission expands on the long-running collaboration between CTM Festival, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and ORF to support new work that exists in two distinct forms: a live presentation and an original radio production. Rather than asking artists to adapt an existing project, the call invites proposals conceived from the beginning as hybrid works. Applicants are expected to consider how listening changes across physical and broadcast environments and how each format can become its own artistic experience. The selected works will premiere during CTM Festival 2027 in Berlin before continuing as radio productions for broadcast through Deutschlandfunk Kultur and presentation through ORF platforms.

The 2027 edition is organized around the festival theme, Process…ing, which examines movement, transformation, and systems through sound. The call asks artists to engage directly with this theme while remaining grounded in experimental sound practices and audio art. Sound must function as the primary artistic medium. Live presentations are designed for a shared listening experience within the Kuppelhalle at silent green, where audiences sit around the performers inside a 6.1-channel loudspeaker configuration. The accompanying radio work should not function as documentation of the live presentation. It should instead be developed as an independent work that takes advantage of the possibilities offered by broadcast listening.

What Is Offered

Two commission fees of €6,000 each
World premiere during CTM Festival 2027
Technical and staging costs for the CTM presentation, following discussion with CTM
Technical and staging costs for a possible presentation at ORF musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst, following discussion with the organizer
Possible production support from Deutschlandfunk Kultur, including translation, voiceover, and recording studio costs, following discussion
Travel expenses to Berlin
Accommodation during the production and festival period
Production support, counseling, and assistance from CTM Festival and Deutschlandfunk Kultur
Broadcast through Deutschlandfunk Kultur’s Klangkunst program
Presentation through one or more ORF platforms
Online streaming through Deutschlandfunk and ORF platforms for at least one year

Who Should Apply

This opportunity is intended for artists whose practice is rooted in experimental sound and audio art. Individual artists, duos, and collaborative groups are eligible to apply. Projects should place sound at the center of the artistic experience and demonstrate how the proposal will function as a live event and as an original radio work. Applications must be submitted in English. Artists proposing collaborative projects should identify one primary contact for the application and develop a realistic production plan that reflects the available commission.

CTM Festival Open Call Timeline

Application Deadline: September 6, 2026, 23:59 (UTC+2, Berlin Time)
Applicants Notified: Mid October 2026
Production Period: Late October 2026 through January 2027
CTM Festival 2027: January 22 to January 31, 2027
Deutschlandfunk Kultur Broadcast: Spring 2027
ORF Presentation: Autumn 2027

Why This Opportunity Matters

Few international commissions ask artists to develop a project simultaneously for live presentation and radio broadcast. The structure encourages applicants to think beyond documentation and to consider how listening changes across different contexts. Artists selected for In Listening 2027 receive financial support together with production guidance from three established cultural organizations working across contemporary sound, experimental music, and radio. The opportunity offers time to develop a new work, present it within an international festival, and extend its reach through public broadcast and online distribution.