Composers’ Academy
Composers’ Academy is an established programme for exceptional musicians from diverse backgrounds who are looking for the opportunity to develop their skills as composers and to create a new 10-minute piece as part of the Philharmonia’s Music of Today series.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the selected composers… the opportunity to workshop their music with world class musicians and to refine their work as part of the process, and to have a performance in such a revered venue, and to receive high quality recordings.”
Anna Clyne, Philharmonia Featured Composer 2022/23
Information for applicants
This established programme is for exceptional musicians from diverse backgrounds who are looking to develop their skills in composition through coaching and mentoring.
We warmly welcome applications from composers of all backgrounds, and are particularly committed to supporting composers from underrepresented demographics, such as women, those from the Global Majority, and people with disabilities. We actively invite applicants to declare such characteristics in their application form, though this is not compulsory. We are also keen to ensure the application process is as widely accessible as possible.
We ask that you provide three examples of your work (both sound file and score) as part of your application. Selected applicants will be invited to a remote interview to talk more about music and aspirations. Please note that the programme does take place in London, and you will be expected to be available in person for workshops, rehearsals with players and critical feedback.
There is no application fee or cost to those who apply to the programme.
How to apply
Composers Academy 2024/25 applications are now closed.
For any enquiries, please contact Linda Biney via: composers@philharmonia.co.uk
Listen to the recordings of our 2023 composers, released October 2024
Explore our other Philharmonia Composers’ Academy releases here
Nneka Cummins, 2022/23 Composers' Academy fellow
About the programme
For classical music to endure, it must be relevant to the widest possible audience. We must foster the talent and audiences of the future, supporting new works to be written and platforming diverse voices which can have a wider reach, as well as widening the talent pool, to ensure that the very best of classical music is being developed and shared.
- A series of masterclasses and workshops covering advanced composition technique, industry insights, and advice from professional musicians and contemporary composers
- 1:1 support throughout the programme from a Composers’ Academy mentor
- Dedicated time to rehearse your composition with an ensemble of Philharmonia musicians, a conductor and your mentor, and to receive feedback
- A performance of your composition at the Royal Festival Hall in London
- A professional recording of your commission, released through NMC Recordings
The Philharmonia supports Sound and Music’s Fair Access Principles, a code of best practice for running successful, open and inclusive artist development programmes, competitions and awards for composers.
We are committed to providing opportunities to underrepresented composers and, therefore, we will offer a place to at least one musician from a minority ethnic background, and at least one female and/or non-binary artist.
Composers 2024/25
Soosan Lolavar
Soosan Lolovar is a British Iranian composer whose music ‘sounds like nothing else on earth’ (Gramophone).
Her work moves far beyond metaphors of “fusion” or assumptions of a binary opposition between east and west, instead aiming for a deeper, lifelong conversation between these musical traditions wherein her personal experience and creative work intertwine to produce something uniquely diasporic.
Her work is concerned with deep attendance to the texture, transformation and layering of sound. Through these means, she creates music which continues to resonate in the world long after we have stopped listening.
Sarah Lianne Lewis
Sarah Lianne Lewis is a Welsh composer of bold and imaginative classical music, described as ‘vivid’, ‘charming’, and ‘poignant’. Her music is often about connection, climate change and the natural world, informed by a female disabled perspective, and her work seeks to promote and provoke discussions about challenging topics with openness and thoughtfulness.
Sarah’s music has been performed worldwide, and she has worked with a variety of performers, audiences and spaces; from textual orchestral works in concert halls, to contemplative chamber ensemble works in a late-night gin bar, to creating expansive storytelling soundscapes through silent disco headphones under the stars.
She was Composer Affiliate with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (2020-24), and has previously worked with organisations such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Chorus of the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Quatuor Bozzini, UPROAR, the Royal Opera and Ballet, and the Nevis Ensemble. Recordings of Sarah’s music are available through the Birmingham Record Company, NMC Recordings and Ty Cerdd Records.
Elif Karlidağ
Elif Karlidağ is a Turkish/British composer whose work spans multidisciplinary projects, community engagement, and stage productions.
She has collaborated with ensembles such as the Scratch Orchestra and Ligeti Quartet and co-founded the East London Sound Ensemble (ELSE), an electro-acoustic group amplifying underrepresented voices in contemporary classical music.
Her work includes creating sonic elements for Marguerite Humeau’s Oscillations and composing music for films like Hamlet Within, starring Sir Ian McKellen. Elif has received commissions from English National Opera and the Three Choirs Festival. Her performances have graced venues such as the Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Centre.
Elif began her musical journey in Bucharest, Romania, earning a Master’s in composition from Izmir DEU State Conservatoire, where she studied under Istemihan Taviloglu. She later refined her skills at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Elif is the current holder of the John Clementi Collard Fellowship from the Worshipful Company of Musicians.
Partners & supporters
The Philharmonia’s Composers’ Academy is generously supported by:
