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| George Parris & The Carice Singers at Cheltenham Music Festival Composer Academy |
Cheltenham Music Festival has announced the 2026 season of its highly regarded programme for early-career composers, Composer Academy, which will be led this year by composer Laura Bowler. The intensive five-day course, which takes place alongside Cheltenham Music Festival in early July, will be led by Bowler as director along with George Parris [see my 2025 interview with him] who returns as music director with his ensemble The Carice Singers. Selected composers will have their work performed by Parris and The Carice Singers in a special showcase concert as part of the Festival.
The course offers early-career composers the chance to feel more immersed in the professional classical music world, says George Parris:
“Our aim is to create the most conducive environment possible for emerging composers. The scheme offers an innovative environment of experimentation for new voices – it’s a laboratory for new music! Our goal is to create productive dialogue and community between composers and industry figures, which leads to better work more widely promoted. Composing doesn’t have to be a lonely game!”
While The Carice Singers will premiere the pieces completed during the week – participants are expected to bring with them a piece 80% completed – composers of all musical styles, and of any age, are encouraged to apply. The minimum age of participants is 18 and there is no upper age limit. Composers from any and all backgrounds are welcome, and no formal education in composition is necessary. In addition to the Cheltenham performance, all works composed for the 2026 Academy will also receive a London premiere at Spitalfields Music Festival in 2027.
Composer Academy will take place 6-10 July 2026. Applications open at the festival website from March 2. Cheltenham Music Festival announces its full 2026 programme on March 6.
