Composer-Curator was a national touring programme which ran between 2015 and 2022, supporting outstanding projects across the UK curated and produced by composers, music-creators and collectives. 

The selected projects took many forms and genres but had the common aim of placing audiences and communities at the heart of the work, engaging them in new and exciting ways and inspiring lasting creativity in the community. 

The programme received support from PRS Foundation and partnership from Supersonic Festival, and from 2021, shifted its focus to the cities of Sunderland and Hull where delivery partnerships were formed with Back to Ours Hull and Sunderland Culture. 

Between 2019 and 2022, we supported the development and delivery of 23 projects through the Composer-Curator programme. 

What Composer-Curator offered:

  • A contribution to project costs (up to £4000 depending on project needs)
  • Skills development sessions, workshops and mentoring from leading professionals that will be shaped around your interests
  • Practical support and guidance on fundraising, marketing, budgeting, audience engagement, data collection, reporting and evaluation, venue sourcing and event production led by Sound and Music
  • Focussed regional and expert support including local audience and media insight, networking and contact building from Back to Ours and Sunderland Culture.
  • Expert mentoring sessions provided by Lisa Meyer, Artistic Director at Supersonic Festival
  • Opportunities to have work featured on Sound and Music, Back to Ours and Sunderland Culture’s social media channels, e-communications and platforms including the British Music Collection and The Sampler

Selected participants spent an initial period refining their projects with the support of the Sound and Music team, before moving on to a production phase, culminating in two or more public events. 

Meet the composers


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Connor Phelan, Steven Chell, Stephanie Halsey, Alison Cotton, The Broken Orchestra and David Littlefair.

Meet the 2022 Composer-Curators

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Graeme Hopper, Ruth Hughes, David De La Haye, Nigel Taylor, Sally Currie and Stewart Baxter.

Meet the 2021 Composer-Curators

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First Light Records, QUEEF, Steven Ives (Farmer Glitch), Marco Sebastiano Alessi (Naviar Records) and Rufus Isabel Elliot.

Meet the 2020 Composer-Curators

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TOR Festival, Rebecca Lee & Nastassja Simensky, Lucie Treacher, Delia Stevens & Joe Snape, James McIlwrath and Dafydd Roberts.

Meet the 2019 Composer-Curators

Our partners


Supersonic Festival

Back to Ours, Hull

Sunderland Culture

Sound and Music gratefully acknowledges support from PRS Foundation as a Talent Development Partner:

PRS TDP logo

Featured composer


Partners


Drake Music
Youth Music
University of Huddersfield