The 2022-23 schemes will be announced soon – please check back.

The information below relates to the 2021-22 schemes and has been left here for information purposes

Who is eligible?

This is a development opportunity for music creators who are at an early stage in their composing career. Applicants will have completed their first degree or equivalent and they will either have left higher education within the last five years or they will be studying at postgraduate level. They must be based in the UK for the duration of the scheme (applicants based outside the UK may apply so long as they will be based in the UK for the period of the scheme).

The programme is not open to undergraduate students or to composers who have been establishing their post higher education careers for longer than five years. Nor is it open to composers who have completed previous “Composing for…” schemes within the last two years (composers from Psappha’s 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19 are eligible to apply, so long as they haven’t taken part in a subsequent scheme). MA and PhD students are eligible to apply. Those still studying for a first degree at the time of application are eligible to apply so long as their degree will have been completed and awarded by the time the scheme begins – the first sessions will take place in the last 2 weeks of September 2021.*

We encourage applications from music creators from different musical genres and we seek to attract applications from candidates that reflect the diverse society in England and the UK.

Aim of the project

The aim of the project is to give the selected composers direct contact with five highly experienced musicians: Psappha pianist Benjamin Powell; Sitar player Jasdeep Singh Degun; Psappha cellist Jennifer Langridge with Psappha percussionist Tim Williams; and Psappha flutist Conrad Marshall with harpist Lauren Scott.

Composers on the sitar scheme will learn about and research the traditions from which the instrument comes, and will write an idiomatic work that responds to those traditions. Composers who would like to focus on exploring extended techniques and advanced compositional ideas will be more suited to our other schemes (ie piano, flute & harp and cello & percussion).

Each composer will be supported to write a new, five-minute piece for one of: piano; sitar; cello/percussion duo; and flute/harp duo.

All works will be filmed and sound recorded by Psappha in 4K. The films will be hosted on Psappha’s YouTube channel so they can be embedded in the composers’ websites or shared (click HERE to watch the films from our recent Composing for Guitar scheme and HERE to watch films from our recent Composing for Cello & Piano).

The works created through the process will also be considered for inclusion in a future Psappha performance and a number of composers who have participated in our schemes have gone on to be commissioned by the ensemble.

How will it work?

Up to 24 emerging composers will be selected to work with Psappha between September 2021 and May 2022. Each composer will receive three sessions with their musician plus a mid-scheme ‘Intervention Day’ led by a composer of national standing plus a final rehearsal/recording session.

Due to the continuing uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic we have developed a new way of working remotely which has received excellent feedback from the cohort of composers involved in our 2020-21 schemes. We expect you to attend (in person) the first session, intervention day and the final filming day. You may attend the remaining sessions remotely, We realise that circumstances might not allow for any ‘in person’ sessions but we want to be clear from the start that if it’s safe to do so, we expect you to attend the first session, intervention day and the final filming day in person. All three sessions will take place in Manchester.

What is required from the composers?

• A genuine commitment to the project.
• To write a work that lasts a maximum of 5 minutes and to agree to participate in the sessions outlined above meeting the required deadlines.
• Composers on the sitar scheme must be willing to learn to write using the Bhatkhande notation system – we will support your learning to do so.

How to Apply

Applications are accepted via Psappha’s online application portal only (link below). The deadline to submit your application is Friday 27th August 2021 by 23:59. The automated application form will ask you to:

• Select the scheme or schemes you are applying for;
• Provide your full contact details (postal address, mobile phone, email address, website and SoundCloud links (if applicable). Please note that we will communicate with you by email so do ensure that the email address you provide us with is correct and up to date.
• Provide a concise summary of your composing experience, including a note of whether you are currently studying (at what stage) or whether you have left education within the last five years* (max 300 words – please note that the online form is unforgiving – it will cut off any words beyond the 300 word limit).
• Upload up to two examples of your music (as a PDF score or mp3 or ideally both) – please note each file must not exceed 20mb – if your upload is larger than this the system will not allow you to submit. If you’re not sure how to check the size of files here’s some help: Windows Mac
• A brief description of how you believe this opportunity would support your development (max 300 words – again please note that material beyond the word limit will be cut).
• When you press ‘Submit’ it might take a minute or so to register your application – please be patient! You will then be prompted to complete an equal opportunities form. This anonymous data will be used for monitoring purposes only and will not form part of the recruitment process for the scheme. Please help us by completing it.

Please ensure that you submit your application in good time – please don’t submit at 23:58 on 27th August as technical issues are possible! The application portal will close at 23.59 on Friday 27th August 2020. When you have submitted your application, you will receive an acknowledgement email. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Psappha is happy to offer this development opportunity to composers for free, and each of the selected composers will receive a bursary of £400. We expect this to support your travel costs and other expenses associated with the scheme.

Psappha is a small organisation and we do not have the resources to provide individual feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

* We recognise that parents and carers who have taken time out to look after eg young children, family members etc and / or people who have taken employment in a different sector may have left education more than five years ago. We are happy to consider applications from people to whom these circumstances apply – be clear in your application.

Psappha is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner. For more information about the PRSF and the support that it provides for music creators visit their website HERE.