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 2025 RPS Composers are:

Amble Skuse is based in Fife. She creates unique sound works inspired by disability theory, using body sensor technology, spoken word interviews and electronics. Amble is currently pursuing a PhD around disability studies and is particularly interested in connections between the disabled body and the exterior world. She has collaborated with a wide range of artists, from an album with folk musician Alasdair Roberts and early music specialist David McGuinness, to a performance partnership with martial artist Boško Begović.

Arthur Keegan, from Coventry, attended his first classical music concert aged 16, describing it as a ‘turning point that has led me to find community, joy and work in classical music’. Now based in Burnley, Lancashire, Arthur’s music often draws on art for inspiration, and text from a wide range of sources from poetry to Twitter feeds. He enjoys a collaborative composition process, working directly with performers, and often uses compositional techniques drawn from his formative experiences writing electronic music.

Cameron Biles-Liddell writes music infused with the sounds and landscapes of Llangollen in Wales where he lives surrounded by luscious green mountains and roaring rivers. He has recently enjoyed the creative challenge of writing vocal works for the National Youth Choir, and commissions for baritone Roderick Williams and soprano Ruby Hughes. As North Wales Associate for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, he is passionate about creating opportunities for local young musicians, and produced a BBC NOW event with 42 local primary schools.

Derri Joseph Lewis has always been fascinated by music and its unique ability to tell stories, express emotions, and connect us. His work often addresses themes of belonging, hope and LGBTQIA+ identity, and his recent collaboration with the National Youth Choir was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award. As well as working with words and voices, Derri is also interested in exploring historical ideas from new perspectives, most recently working with early music ensemble Siglo de Oro.

Emily Hazrati ventured into composition through a love of writing for voice, and of narrative and text, leading her to embrace interdisciplinary art forms including opera. She is particularly fascinated with blending elements of theatre and vocality outside of their usual contexts and enjoys extending the boundaries of what we understand ‘vocal’ and ‘instrumental’ composition to mean.

Lisa Robertson is from the West Highlands of Scotland, and is particularly interested in combining influences from nature and traditional culture. She is influenced by natural sounds and local Gaelic song, and uses her compositions to examine relationships between people and the land, highlighting environmental concerns. She has recently completed commissions for the Maxwell Quartet and local children’s choir, brass players and Gaelic bands at the Loch Shiel Festival, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Sasha Scott is a composer, producer and violinist, who regularly plays with Chineke! Orchestra and London Contemporary Orchestra. She first found her love for composing by improvising – when she should have been practicing her violin! Since her teenage years she has loved the music of artists such as Aphex Twin, Massive Attack and Anna Meredith, inspiring her to start creating her own electronic sounds. She likes to combine her classical training with her passion for sound design, ranging from solo electronic sets to orchestral works.

Zygmund de Somogyi is a British-Filipino composer, interdisciplinary artist and writer. Growing up listening to bands like Linkin Park, Enter Shikari and The Wonder Years, Zyggy’s compositional style was formed by performing in the UK’s punk and alternative music scenes. They combine punk rock and electronic experimental influences with classical and contemporary music. Zyggy’s ethos is ‘writing music to feel seen, and to hopefully help others feel seen too.’ Since 2020, they have been artistic director and editor of PRXLUDES, promoting contemporary upcoming composers.

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 2025 – 12 Ensemble, Liverpool’s Ensemble 10:10, Hebrides Ensemble, The Hermes Experiment, The Marian Consort, Presteigne Festival in Wales, and Wigmore Hall Learning.

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, Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Idlewild Trust, John Ellerman Foundation, Marchus Trust, Presteigne Festival, Radcliffe Trust, Susan Bradshaw Composers' Fund, Vaughan Williams Foundation, and several anonymous donors.

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