ABRSM has selected six emerging composers from diverse backgrounds to join its landmark mentoring scheme after the success of its pilot programme over the past six months.
The cohort for the Writing for Music Education programme was selected with consultation from the Ivors Academy, Black Lives in Music and the Musicians’ Union.
The composers include Amit Anand, Ben Lunn, Florence Anna Maunders, Hyokyung Jung, Michael Betteridge and Natalie Bleicher.
Mentees will receive mentorship from composer and educator Sarah Watts and musicians and workshop leader Andy Grappy.
They will also receive specialist support and guidance from leading educators and composers, as well as meet ABRSM’s partner organisations, such as the National Open Youth Orchestra, National Children's Orchestras of Great Britain, National Youth Jazz Orchestra, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, London Music Fund and Royal Philharmonic Society.
ABRSM executive director Lincoln Abbotts said: ‘Writing for Music Education is about exploring the wonderful opportunities that exist within music education and opening up this world to composers of all backgrounds and experiences. We’re delighted to be working with this diverse group of talented musicians.’
‘We hope the programme content will be engaging and a lot of fun. What’s even more exciting is that the programme will connect participants with our wide range of partner organisations, broadening the range of educational contexts in which they may find work as composers in the future. Ultimately, we hope this will contribute to the creation of an even richer pool of music for learners to enjoy and explore.’
As a result of last year’s pilot programme, two of the participating composers, Shruthi Rajasekar and Kristina Arakelyan, received commissions to write pieces for ABRSM’s latest piano syllabuses.
