Adopt a Music Creator

Creating new music is a great way for music directors and leisure-time music groups to develop skills together and strengthen their bonds. The Adopt a Music Creator project offers a professional music creator and the supportive environment to do this.

*Applications have now closed*

Who is this project for?

Any Making Music member group of any type and their music director can apply. The project is free to take part in and is particularly aimed at:

  • member groups and music directors with no experience of commissioning new music
  • music directors who would like to gain more experience of commissioning new music, even if their group does have experience
  • music directors who have experience of commissioning but whose group would like to gain experience

What do groups and their music directors gain?

  • A new piece of music tailored to the strengths and personality of the group
  • The opportunity to be professionally recorded and premiere your new piece of music
  • A working relationship with a skilled and committed professional music creator
  • A remote, peer-learning development session for music directors, plus the experience and confidence to work with a living music creator 
  • An exciting new experience and musical development for the group and music director 
  • An experienced mentor on hand throughout to offer guidance and ensure the creative process runs smoothly
  • An understanding of the collaborative process of creating new music and the knowledge and confidence to do it again independently
  • Stronger connections and higher profile in the local community through open rehearsals and project publicity 
  • Promotion of your Adopt a Music Creator journey on Making Music’s social media and website

'It felt absolutely fantastic to hear the clapping and cheering of the audience and to know that we had all pulled together to create such an enjoyable occasion for everyone. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who came to support us and all those people who helped to make the whole evening such a success.' - Hayley Hodges, member of Voices of Exmoor

'…this has given me the confidence that our students can take on anything, without fear that if it’s not ‘their thing’ they won’t engage – they were very open minded and enjoyed playing in different ways than they’re used to. We’re not in a financial position to commission new works, but I think that it is much more likely we would try contemporary music again in the future after this experience.' - Reading Youth Orchestra

How does Adopt a Music Creator work?

Leisure-time music groups are paired with an emerging professional music creator for a year to create a new piece of music for premiere.

Want to apply for the project as a music creator? Find out more on our music creator application page

musicians of da capo alba sitting down with their instruments in a semi-circle

Da Capo Alba, a guitar and mandolin orchestra, paired with music creator Nicholas Olsen for Adopt a Composer 2018-19

Adopt a Composer started all the way back in 2000 as a partnership project with Sound and Music, and it has since evolved into its current iteration of Adopt a Music Creator, Making Music’s flagship project. Pairings of music creators and groups have proved a winning formula over the years, so here's a glimpse of what it's like to take part, which still applies today.

The group featured in the video is the Quirky Choir, who were paired with music creator Anna Braithwaite for Adopt a Composer 2014-15.

Recordings of most of the pieces written for the Adopt a Composer project were broadcast on BBC Radio 3. You can listen to these pieces below and on our Soundcloud page.

Who supports the project?

Adopt a Music Creator is funded by the PRS Foundation and the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust.

The PRS Foundation is the largest independent funder for new music in the UK. The foundation provides all the financial backing for the Adopt a Music Creator scheme.

logo of PRS foundation