Adopt a Music Creator pairings for 2020/21 revealed

Making Music is delighted to announce the participants of the Adopt a Music Creator project, an expanded version of the hugely popular Adopt a Composer project that pairs leisure-time music groups with emerging music creators to create brand new music. 

Since 2000, the Adopt a Composer project has inspired over 120 hugely diverse new works for performance and radio broadcast. Leisure-time groups get involved in the creative process and develop their musical skills, while music creators gain experience of working with groups as well as guidance from an established team of mentors (Colin Riley, Emily Crossland, Fraser Trainer, Jenni Pinnock, Ailie Robertson and Lynne Plowman (CoDI project)) with many going on to national and international success.

As Adopt a Music Creator, the scope of the project has now broadened with more opportunities to take part including the chance for pairs of groups to collaborate with a music creator.

The pairings for 2020/21 showcase the range and vibrancy of the UK’s leisure-time music scene, ranging from choirs and bands to a saxophone orchestra. 
“Adopt a Music Creator has always been a unique, challenging and deeply rewarding programme, but this year the selected composers and music groups will have to navigate an unprecedented context with COVID-19. Sound and Music is constantly amazed by the boundless creativity that composers bring. This will no doubt make for an enriching creative journey for everyone involved.” – Will Dutta, Head of Artist Development, Sound and Music   

“Adopt a Music Creator has been a continually refreshed and evolving project over 20 years now, but what has remained is that it successfully introduces leisure-time music groups to the joys of collaborating with a living music creator, and music creators to the differences and creative opportunities offered by our member groups for their musical imagination. This year, Covid or not, will be no different and we look forward to another set of fun, surprising and challenging pieces written especially for those of us who make music as a hobby.” – Barbara Eifler, Chief Executive of Making Music

The selected pairings for 2020/21 are as follows:

  • Bury St Edmunds Concert Band and Litha Efthymiou
  • Fulham Brass Band and Florence Anna Maunders
  • Hepton Singers and Fergus Hall
  • Newcastle-under-Lyme Community Orchestra and Charlotte Marlow
  • The Phoenix Voices and Lucy Callen
  • Aberdeenshire Saxophone Orchestra, Ugie Voices and Ben Lunn
  • Côr Meibion Mynwy (Monmouth Male Voice Choir) and Eloise Gynn

Adopt a Music Creator is run by Making Music in partnership with Sound and Music. The UK project is funded by the PRS Foundation and the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust. Adopt a Music Creator also includes the CoDI project, funded by Tŷ Cerdd in Wales.

Find out more about Adopt a Music Creator