'Rain'
Nicola Chang
Since 2008 we have been supporting composers of all ages, inspiring young people, supporting educators, and engaging new music fans and the sector through our online platforms.
Our work sustains more careers, progresses creativity and achieves greater equity across music in the UK.
David’s work for the Composer-Curator programme started with freshwater recordings of local ponds and drew on his work in jazz and free improvisation. He crossed paths with scientists, artists and musicians to produce a variety of outcomes that explored, developed and contextualised these mysterious recordings of the underwater world.
Alice utilised the New Voices artist development programme to explore and develop ambitious and thematically rich work, in ways that were unexpected and delightful.
Find out more about Alice's experience as part of New Voices
For Georgia Denham, Sound and Music’s programmes not only kickstarted her composition career but also gave her the time and space to find her own voice.
"I grew up in Carlisle which has its limitations in terms of arts education, so the Summer School was a brilliant opportunity to see what life studying music could be like – and I loved every second of it."
Find out how our Summer School impacted Ben's life and career
''This opportunity has enabled my work to reach new and diverse audiences on a much larger scale which has been a really exciting experience, and one for which I am extremely grateful.''
''New Voices was very exciting and educational, and I learnt so much from it. It definitely helped me to evolve as a composer, and to think about my work and practices.''
We interviewed composer and performer Damilola Eniola (Gugak Sounds) while on our artist development programme, New Voices, to find out how her time with us impacted her work.
''Composer-Curator provided a big injection of belief, understanding, credibility and financial support into the project, which allowed the work to grow and the project to become much bigger than it otherwise would have been.''
Read more about Marilyn's experience of the Francis Chagrin Award
We caught up with Lillie Harris - one of our Summer School alumni - to find out how the course impacted her life and hear about what she's gone on to do since. Lillie attend the Summer School in 2010-11 when she was aged 16-17.
The first report of its kind in the UK, Can Compose outlines the essential findings of our National Music Educators’ Survey, revealing significant barriers faced by young people looking to compose and create their own music. Can Compose offers a unique perspective on an area often overlooked in music education.
We are committed to celebrating the diversity of new music through representation in the programmes and projects we produce, and sharing our data is a key part of this work. By making this data accessible we aim to be transparent about our progress, share our challenges, and improve the way we work.
Our Fair Access Principles are designed to act as a code of best practice for running successful, open and inclusive artist development programmes, competitions and awards for composers. Our partners include PRS Foundation, Snape Maltings, Opera North, the Royal Philharmonic Society and Sage Gateshead.