Three Choirs Festival announces composer development scheme

The Three Choirs Festival has today announced the launch of its new intensive residential composer development scheme for choral music. New Voices Academy will be led by composer Daniel Kidane and run by the festival in partnership with The Carice Singers and Spitalfields Music.

The Academy will be embedded within this year’s Three Choirs Festival in Worcester from 26 to 30 July, offering four ‘springboard’ places and further ‘sandbox’ places for early-career composers. Performances of works created by the Springboard composers will be performed at the festival on 30 July, and at a repeat performance at Spitalfields Music Festival next summer.

Festival chief executive Alexis Paterson said: ‘Celebrating up-and-coming composers of the day is something Three Choirs Festival has been doing for centuries, so I’m thrilled we’re able to announce this new scheme. To compose while embedded within the buzz of a festival-in-progress is a unique and special thing. I’m grateful to everyone who has come together to lend their thoughts and get this off the ground in response to the recent closure of other schemes, especially our funders and partners.’

Alongside workshops and showcase, recording and networking opportunities, the New Voices Academy will offer participants support and guidance on the practicalities and business of composition, concerts and rehearsals. Members of the Academy’s inaugural cohort will also ‘co-design future iterations’ of the scheme.

Applications are now open for the scheme and submissions are welcomed from composers in the early stages of their career until 15 April. The festival also invites promoters or choirs who would be like to get involved to get in touch to discuss future collaboration.