Each composer has their own dedicated page on our website where you can read more about them and listen to some of their music. We particularly invite programmers and commissioners to take a closer look at their work, and please be in touch with us if you would like to connect with them. Our 2026 RPS Composers are:

Amelia Clarkson, from County Down in Northern Ireland, creates music that explores contemporary issues through tangible lenses such as nature, mythology and folklore. Her creative and societal aspirations are deeply connected, and she composes adventurous music that creates meaningful audience experiences. All Amelia’s work is shaped heavily by movement and she is particularly passionate about writing music for dance. She co-founded Belfast’s Six Dance Collective and has since written the city’s first ballet, bringing dance back to local stages.

Atefeh Einali’s music blends Western Classical composition techniques with her traditional Iranian musical training. She is particularly motivated to create spaces where diverse voices can meet and collaborate, and writes music that bridges cultures and fosters dialogue, reflecting diverse identities and shared human experiences. Her musical journey began as a santoor player in Tehran and she now teaches the instrument at Olympias Music Foundation, sharing Iranian music with younger generations to promote cultural understanding.

Crystalla Serghiou, from Cyprus, describes herself as a ‘popsical’ composer. She mixes classical music with pop, jazz, Cypriot folk music and everything in between: recent compositions include a concerto for jazz-scat singer, a yodel-choral work and a ‘popera’ which blends opera, musical theatre and pop styles. Crystalla uses her distinctive artistic voice to curate innovative concert programmes and is also committed to engaging new audiences and inspiring young people, and has recently set up the multi-genre Queens of Sound Orchestra, representing minority genders in music.  

Elif Karlıdağ is a Turkish-British composer whose music amplifies marginalised voices and connects with diverse audiences. Her work spans multidisciplinary art projects, community engagement and stage productions as well as music for documentaries and feature films. Elif creates unconventional sound worlds by combining traditional and non-traditional instruments, drawing on scale patterns and rhythmic practices from different musical cultures. She enjoys collaborating with performers, visual artists and writers and sees these projects as a dialogue, growing ideas into something no one discipline could achieve alone. 

George Stevenson is based in Scotland, where his musical life began as a jazz pianist. As a performer, he always found himself drawn to the harmonies of composers like Debussy, Messiaen and Dutilleux. His journey of discovery through contemporary classical music continues to inspire his work as a composer, while improvisation remains at the core of his music. This spirit of adventure, evident in his compositions, is driven by his excitement at discovering new harmonic languages and musical structures. 

Natalie Roe uses her skills as an electronic artist to bring acoustic classical music and electronic sounds together in her compositions. Based in Cardiff, Natalie’s entrepreneurial streak has seen her co-found The Flying Bedroom Theatre Company and sound-sculpture duo Tangible Lemon as vehicles for her innovative music. As well as writing for the concert hall, Natalie has composed music for TV and theatre, and created immersive sound installations in Helsinki as part of her studies in electronic music at the Sibelius Academy. 

Nneka Cummins, from Liverpool, creates classical music that takes inspiration from sources far beyond the traditional classical canon. They draw on the Afrofuturist aesthetic and West African-rooted art as influences and seek to write work that is innovative, accessible and relevant to modern audiences. Groove-driven rhythms and vibrant melodies are central to their compositions, which also use extended techniques to add colour and percussiveness. Nneka’s music often includes sampled electronics developed from orchestral source material, to explore the idea of deconstruction and re-building. 

Vivek Haria is a British composer of Indian heritage, whose music blends traditional and contemporary elements to create a unique sound world. Vivek discovered composition while at university, and at the core of his work is a deep connection to choral music. His artistic voice is shaped by an ongoing dialogue between Western and Indian classical traditions and he loves to write music that encourages performers to engage with new sonic and interpretative possibilities.

For over 200 years, the RPS has continually supported composers and brought new music to the stage, establishing a repertory that remains much-loved by audiences today. Notably, commissioning Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and supporting Mendelssohn in his early twenties, commissioning his popular Italian Symphony.

Ever since, the RPS has strived to help composers whose voices deserve to be heard. Since 2000, the RPS has supported over 100 composers who have been setting out to make a career for themselves. Establishing yourself as a professional composer is especially difficult. It doesn’t just take remarkable talent: it takes great confidence, initiative and imagination to build a professional network and create opportunities for yourself.

As detailed above, each of these composers receives a commission from the RPS and a performance with a noted performance partner – usually an ensemble, festival or venue. We are grateful to the partner organisations who help fulfil this, including – for 2026 – 12 Ensemble, Liverpool's Ensemble 10:10, Hebrides Ensemble, Manchester Camerata, Music@Malling in Kent, Onyx Brass, Presteigne Festival in Wales, and Swaledale Festival in North Yorkshire.

Complementing this, we support the composers with a year-long programme of workshops and activities to help them meet valuable contacts and further their understanding of how the music sector works. We help them plan their next steps and set individual goals through mentoring, and help build the profile and confidence needed to promote themselves and their music. In this, we are grateful to a range of industry experts and professional composers for sharing their expertise.

The RPS Composers programme could not happen without the support of RPS Members, PRS Foundation Talent Development Network supported by PPL, Delius Trust, Fidelio Charitable Trust, Garrick Charitable Trust, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Idlewild Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Marchus Trust, Presteigne Festival, Radcliffe Trust, RPS Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, RPS Thea Musgrave Fund, Vaughan Williams Foundation, and several anonymous donors.

Please consider supporting our work by becoming an RPS Member. Every subscription helps musicians and composers at key stages in their careers, ensuring classical music continues to thrive for years to come. Find out more here.