Heritage Quay is an important centre for the study of contemporary, classical and art music.

At the heart of the archive is the British Music Collection, the music library and administrative records of the British Music Information Centre
(BMIC). The music library contains 40,000 scores and over 23,000 sound recordings of 20th and 21st Century British composition. Most of the
collection relates to post-1960 and contemporary music, but also encompasses some works from the late 19th century onwards.

We also hold the Society for the Promotion of New Music Archive (originally named The Committee for the Promotion of New Music) which
was founded to promote the creation, performance, and appreciation of new music by young and unestablished composers. Additionally, the
Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Archive is a major resource for international contemporary music composition and performance
and consists of records from its foundation in 1978 through to c2005. The collection contains administrative records as well as programmes,
recordings and more.

You can also explore the work of individual composers in collections such as the Phyllis Tate Archive, the Derek Bailey Archive, or the Roberto
Gerhard Digital Collection.

If the jazz age is more your thing, the British Dance Band Archive has over 21,000 recordings from that genre. The focus of the collection is British
recordings of dance band music from the inter-war period, however there are some early examples of ragtime recordings from the 1910s and many
recordings that were released throughout the 1940s.

Our collections also provide a flavour of the rich and diverse musical life of the Huddersfield area. The archives of the Incorporated Society of
Musicians Huddersfield Branch and Huddersfield Musical Society are held by us, in addition to the Brass Band Archive, the Handbell Ringers
of Great Britain Archive and many other smaller collections.

Links to music collections held at Heritage Quay are listed below in alphabetical order: