Fifth edition of ORA Singers' Young Composers' Scheme and new Graduate Composers' Showcase

ORA Singers at the Cutty Sark (Photo: Nick Rutter)

2019 saw ORA Singers introduce its Young Composers' Scheme, providing free mentoring in choral composition to students from non fee-paying schools across the UK. Now as the Young Composers' Scheme returns for its fifth edition, ORA Singers is introducing a new complementary Graduate Composers' Showcase. 

The Young Composers' Scheme has so far successfully mentored 140 students, and has partnered with the Three Choirs Festival and Scala Radio. This season the fifth edition welcomes another 50 students from non fee-paying schools across the UK, to receive free coaching in choral composition with professional composers. 10 Young Composers will have one-to-one mentoring with professional composers, who will develop their skills whilst helping them write a new choral piece. The Young Composers will join ORA for a workshop, where they will have their sketches sung and receive feedback from ORA and a guest composer. The scheme ends on 2nd August 2024 with the Final Concert, where ORA Singers will perform and record the 10 new works in front of a live audience and a panel of adjudicators at the Three Choirs Festival in Worcester. 

A further 40 Apprentices will receive a series of free, online workshops in choral composition, led by composer Rory Wainwright Johnston. The Apprentice strand introduces key elements of choral composition and its techniques, and gives an insight into the world of professional composition with opportunities to meet with leading industry figures.

With the success of the Young Composers and Commissioning programmes, ORA Singers recognised a major gap in support between the young students and professional composers, and has introduced their Graduate Composers' Showcase  For this, ORA Singers is looking for five graduates who are seeking to pursue a career in composition. 

They will each receive a commission of £1,000 to write a 4 minute piece for ORA's full complement of 18 professional singers. ORA Singers will premiere these works in concert at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama on 28 September 2024, where industry guests will be invited to hear the music. During the composition process, Graduate Composers will receive consultation sessions with Suzi Digby and the ORA Singers team, and they will receive a video recording of their piece to add to their portfolios. 

Full details of the Graduate Composers' Showcase from ORA Singers website (due to go live 21 November)