Further opportunities

Every year, the RPS is able to support a cohort of composers through its RPS Composers programme, providing vocational support and a paid commission with a professional venue, ensemble or festival. 
 

While we can only offer a limited number of places each year, we want to be as helpful to as many composers as we can, and are pleased to signpost other funds and opportunities.

We aim to keep this list as up-to-date and useful as possible. Should you come across any funds or opportunities for composers based in the UK that are not listed on this page, please do get in touch with us and we'll be happy to add them.

What is listed below is largely for professional composers, not students, but at the end you will find a few worthwhile opportunities for composers aged 18 and under.

Useful resources

Help Musicians UK provide a variety of information about opportunities and guidance on applying.

Similarly, Sound and Music offer their own directory of opportunities for composers on their website which can be filtered by type, location and genre/interest.

The Independent Society of Musicians offers a range of resources, legal advice and templates for composers, available to ISM Members, along with the following packs which are freely available on their website:

Funding opportunities

  • Arts Council England - Developing Your Creative Practice 
    Supporting the development of independent creative practitioners, offering grants of £2,000 to £10,000 to take a dedicated period of time to focus on their own creative development.
  • Arts Council England - National Lottery Project Grants
    Offering funds to independent organisations, creative practitioners and freelancers.
  • The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust 
    Providing support to young musicians at the start of their careers; for composers, this can include commissioning of new works and making initial recordings.
  • The Countess of Munster Musical Trust - Stephen Oliver Award
    A grant of up to £5,000 awarded to a composer for a work of music theatre, principally to assist with the cost of bringing that work to performance.
  • Creative Scotland - Open Funding
    Grants of £1,000 to £150,000 open to individual artists, creative practitioners, and groups in Scotland, supporting a wide range of musical activity.
  • The Finzi Trust - Grant Giving 
    Offers a range of assistance to musicians including composers for 'music performance, music publication, books on music, music festivals, and furthering musical education (excluding full time courses)'.
  • Help Musicians UK 
    - Fast Track awards
    Support of up to £500 to help you seize an opportunity. This financial support can go towards courses, networking opportunities, equipment, or costs associated with recording and releasing music.
    - Next Level awards
    Support of up to £3000 designed to support musicians ready to pursue a career-changing opportunity.
  • The Hinrichsen Foundation
    Offers funding to support the performance of contemporary music, including the commissioning of new work, non-commercial recordings and publication.
  • PRS Foundation - The Composers' Fund
    Grants of up to £15,000 to help composers in any regard who are already making a considerable cultural contribution in their careers.
  • PRS Foundation - The Open Fund for Music Creators
    Grants of up to £5,000 for outstanding UK-based composers of any genre and background, and at different stages of their career.
  • PRS Foundation - Steve Reid InNOVAtion Award 
    A grant of up to £1,500 to assist you with creative goals, career development, and mentoring from an experienced artist.
  • PRS Foundation - Women Make Music
    Grants to support the development of outstanding women, trans and non-binary composers of all genres and backgrounds at different stages in their career.
  • Vaughan Williams Foundation - General Funding
    For professional British composers (established or entering the profession) who have not yet achieved a broad national reputation.
  • Sound and Music - The Essentials Fund 
    A grant scheme open to any composers, music creators or artists working creatively with music and sound, to purchase essentials for their practice.
  • The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation
    Offering grants of up to £3,000 to fund creative activity, group music making, or projects that involve young people in the process of composing and the development of creative ideas.

Development opportunities

  • ABRSM - Writing for Music Education
    ABRSM's composer mentoring programme, providing opportunities for composers to develop their skills in writing to a brief, both for exam syllabuses and within broader educational contexts, with dedicated mentoring from leading educational composers.
  • Britten Sinfonia - Opus 1 and Magnum Opus
    A composer development programme for UK-based composers. Opus 1 is designed for aspiring composers looking to write for a professional ensemble for the first time whilst Magnum Opus is an opportunity for three more experienced composers to develop their skills in orchestral writing.
  • Help Musicians UK - Co-Pilot 
    A Musicians’ Mentoring Network, supporting musicians with their development by pairing them with an experienced industry mentor.
  • Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival -Fielding Talent
    A range of opportunities at one of the world's foremost festivals of new music, giving composers and music creators the chance to gain experience and expertise, build networks and raise their profile.
  • London Philharmonic Orchestra - Young Composers
    Participants have the chance to develop a chamber work with LPO musicians across the year, leading to a public performance at Southbank Centre.
  • London Sinfonietta - Writing the Future 
    An opportunity to work with and write for a group of up to six musicians from one of the UK's leading contemporary music ensembles.
  • London Symphony Orchestra - LSO Jerwood Composer+
    16-month placement for two early-career composers to build experience in planning and delivering chamber-scale concerts.
  • London Symphony Orchestra - Panufnik Composers Scheme
    Over the course of a year, six composers who have not yet had chance to have their works performed by an orchestra of this scale are mentored by professional composers, developing their orchestral writing skills, leading to a short composition performed by the LSO.
  • London Symphony Orchestra - LSO Soundhub
    An opportunity for composers to lead a project with a small group of LSO players.
  • Making Music - Adopt a Music Creator
    A scheme which pairs composers with amateur choirs, orchestras, and ensembles for one year to collaborate in the creation of new work lasting around 10 minutes.
  • National Youth Choirs of Great Britain - Young Composers 
    A year-long scheme for four composers aged 18-29, through workshops, mentoring and performance.
  • Nonclassical
    Artist development programmes for early-career composers.
  • Philharmonia - Composers' Academy
    Opportunity to write a chamber work for Philharmonia players to be performed live at London's Southbank Centre and recorded, with a £3,000 commission fee.
  • Riot Ensemble - Call for Scores
    A chance for composers to share their work with Riot Ensemble, resulting in two or more commissions each year.
  • Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - Rushworth Composition Prize
    The opportunity to write a chamber work for the orchestra's Ensemble 10/10, with a £1,000 commission fee and mentoring from the organisation.
  • Sound and Music
    Support for composers and music creators through a variety of programmes, including In Motion, an 18-month artist development programme.
  • The Alternative Conservatoire
    A multi-disciplined course with a focus on developing an artistic voice through developing their own project, mentor guidance, creative leadership, collaborative practices, immersive workshops and a craft drawn from many cultures.

Opportunities for composers aged 18 and under