Nine talented composers receive grants of up to £10k to help them take more control of their careers

The first nine composers that will be supported through the ground breaking Composers’ Fund established by PRS Foundation earlier this year to support the UK’s most talented composers to develop their work in the UK and overseas are:

• Cheryl Frances-Hoad – to promote her repertoire in North America with US orchestras, ensembles and choirs.

• Gabriel Jackson – to develop his writing for instruments his compositions are not usually written for.

• Gavin Higgins – to cover costs of using a studio space.

• Joanna Lee – to cover costs of childcare for projects with Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, the Orchestra of the Swan and the BBC Singers.

• Joe Cutler – to cover costs for sabbatical from full time university post, freeing up time for a major commission.

• Ken Hesketh – to cover costs of recording his orchestral works spanning 12 years.

• Laura Bowler – to cover costs for a commission and collaboration with Phil Venables.

• Luke Bedford – to cover costs for research and development for a new opera and collaboration with playwright David Harrower

• Luke Styles – to cover research and development for a Neo-Baroque opera.

PRS Foundation is excited to be partnering with up and coming classical music streaming platform Grammofy allowing you to listen to all the composers on a specially curated collection from today here.

The fund, which aims to give composers more control of their next steps by offering them direct access to funding at pivotal stages in their careers, was launched by PRS for Music Foundation at City Hall, London in April 2016 with additional support from Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. The fund offers £150,000 annually to support composers and enable them to realise projects and ambitions that may not be possible through traditional commissioning models.

This first round revealed that composers require support for a broad range of needs, demonstrating the importance of an open and flexible fund like this. Across the applications received; 33% were looking for support to fund the writing of a new piece; 28% the research and development of new work; and 26% seeking support  for work space, childcare, sabbatical cover, and equipment costs to give more time and space to aid composition.

Vanessa Reed, Executive Director for PRS for Music Foundation said, “Congratulations to the nine composers selected from this competitive first round of applications. We’re proud to be supporting these talented and distinctive composers, to take more control of their own destiny.  I very much look forward to following their progress and seeing how this support enables them to develop their music and take their career to the next stage.”

Alison Holdom, Grants Manager Esmée Fairbairn Foundation said, “We support the development of emerging artistic talent – usually through established arts organisations. Supporting composers directly is a new way of funding for us, and we’re grateful for the expert guidance of the PRS Foundation in directing our funding. We’re excited to see where this model takes us, and the composers themselves.”

Supported composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad said, “I am so thrilled and grateful to have been given this support by the PRS for Music Foundation’s Composers Fund. It will make a huge difference to my composing life.”

PRS for Music Foundation gratefully acknowledges Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for supporting The Composers’ Fund.