The Adopt a Music Creator project, formerly known as Adopt a Composer project, has inspired over 120 wide breadths of works and performances by music creators and leisure-time music groups since its beginning in 2000. The collaborative project is run by Making Music in partnership with Sound and Music, the national organisation for new music, and funded by the PRS Foundation and Philip and Dorothy Green Trust as well as Creative Scotland.
Adopt a Music Creator matches leisure-time choirs, bands, orchestras and ensembles with a music creator for a year, leading to a premiere performance, recording and radio broadcast. Meet this year's pairings and find out who has taken part in the past.
Adopt a Music Creator 2023 pairings
- Peter Falconer and Band of the Surrey Yeomanry
- Joshua Kaye and Orchestra of the City
- Anselm McDonnell and Northern Ireland Concert Band
- Fraz Ireland and Blackheath Choir
- Robin Fiedler and Camden Brass Band, Regent Brass Band (Collaborate pathway)
- Georgina MacDonell Finlayson and Shenstone Roses, Shenstone Singers (Collaborate pathway)
Peter Falconer and Band of the Surrey Yeomanry (mentored by Fraser Trainer)
Dr Peter Falconer is a sound artist, composer and parafictionalist originally from Hartlepool, UK. His work frequently combines music, sound design, narration, historical research and sonic journalism to tell stories about both our own and possible alternative realities. He is also a voiceover artist, plays the Northumbrian smallpipes, and doesn't normally refer to himself in the third person. Website
Band of the Surrey Yeomanry is a 30 to 40 piece concert band (also known as a wind band, or military band). The range of a concert band is very broad and can include music from all periods from the classical to the modern popular. Typically, programmes include selections from shows (anything from Rodgers & Hart to Andrew Lloyd Webber), dance band music (Glenn Miller to Jerry Herman), waltzes (a bit of Strauss, perhaps) and modern pieces written specifically for concert. Website
Joshua Kaye and Orchestra of the City (mentored by Fraser Trainer)
Josh Kaye is a London based composer whose work centres around writing for the voice and for the stage. Most recently, he has completed a master’s in composition at Trinity Laban, under Edward Jessen, Deirdre Gribbin, Errollyn Wallen and Laura Bowler. At Trinity, he received the silver medal and worked with the Hermes Experiment, the Smith Quartet, the Riot Ensemble and the Trinity Symphony Orchestra. In addition to this, he attended the Dartington Advanced Composition course under Nico Muhly. Website
The Orchestra of the City is widely recognised as one of London’s finest non-professional orchestras. With a membership of musicians who are of a very high standard but pursing a variety of different careers, the orchestra is known both for breaking down barriers between the orchestra and audience as well as for its innovative programming and musical excellence. The orchestra regularly performs in London and further afield, recently working with soloists ranging from established international figures such as Alexandra Dariescu, Guy Johnston, Josef Spacek, Benjamin Grosvenor and many more, to some of the most exciting young musicians of today at the beginning of their careers. Website
Anselm McDonnell and Northern Ireland Concert Band (mentored by Seán Doherty)
Anselm McDonnell is an Irish/Welsh composer based in Belfast. He has written over eighty works for a variety of ensembles and regularly works with artists from other disciplines. His music has been performed in Estonia, Hungary, Thailand, North America, Canada, Finland, Japan, Russia, and across Europe. He also performs on the classical and electric guitar. Website
The Northern Ireland Concert Band had been making music for almost a decade and prides itself in being one of the province's finest wind bands. Players come from all walks of life and is made up of over 40 musicians in wind, brass and percussion. The band has been successful in its tenure by winning the Northern Ireland Bands' Association Championship contest in 2017 and 2019 and in 2015, the band took part in its first tour at a music festival in Torrevieja, Spain. The group continues to perform at a high standard and enjoys playing all musical genres to give audiences a concert experience they won't forget. As they move into another decade of playing, the band continues to grow and we are excited for the future of the Northern Ireland Concert Band. Website
Fraz Ireland and Blackheath Choir (mentored by Colin Riley)
Fraz Ireland is a composer, performer, and conceptual artist whose work explores a provocative and playful relationship with its audience. Often incorporating text, graphic, and video elements, their work can sometimes be found lurking in the corridors between liminal spaces. Fraz engages with well-established traditions, including—but not limited to—dining, digging, and destroying. Website
Blackheath Choir (formerly The Ascension Choir, founded 1971) is an SATB chorus of approximately 70 voices. They aim to achieve high vocal standards from exciting repertoire while fostering a friendly and inclusive experience for members. Alongside established choral favourites, they explore lesser-known works, contemporary composers, and premiere new commissions. They perform in three concerts/year with established ensembles and soloists, plus choir member solos where appropriate. They also participate in workshops and competitions, sings carols for charity at Christmas, and hold social events. Website
Collaborate pathway: Robin Fiedler and Camden Brass Band, Regent Brass Band (mentored by Jenni Pinnock)
A graduate of Middlesex University London, Robin Fiedler can look back on performances with the acclaimed London Firebird Orchestra and Allegri String Quartet. Other highlights include her Junior Residency with the London Bel Canto Festival 2018 and Cheltenham Composer Academy 2022. Robin studies composition with James Francis Brown and her music has been performed in the UK, US and Europe. Website
The Camden Brass Band was launched last year by the Camden Music Service as part of a partnership project with Brass Bands England. The 30-strong band meet weekly to rehearse their programme of popular music and can be seen performing regularly in the local community. With players in Years 6 to 9, it bridges the transition between primary and secondary school, building on instrumental learning in WCET (whole class ensemble tuition) that many young musicians in Camden experience as part of their music curriculum. Website
Originally based in Wembley, North West London, Regent Brass was founded in January 1985 by a collective of young brass musicians in Brent under the leadership of Paul Fensom. Since then, the band has gone from strength to strength, and formed a sister band Regent Community Band in 2012. The band has recently relocated and currently rehearses in the Chalk Farm Salvation Army Hall. Under their current Musical Director Alan Duguid’s second tenure of the band, Regent Brass has pursued an ambitious and eclectic programme of musical activity, recently performing in the prestigious World Music Contest in Kerkrade, Netherlands. Regularly performing contemporary music including several world premieres, the band also plays the very best music from the traditional Brass Band repertoire. Website
Collaborate pathway: Georgina MacDonell Finlayson and Shenstone Roses, Shenstone Singers (mentored by Lynne Plowman)
Georgina MacDonell Finlayson is a Scottish violinist, fiddle player, composer and community arts practitioner, with a particular interest in collaborative, cross-genre and multidisciplinary performances. Often inspired by folk music, nature, landscape and the climate crisis, her creative work explores everything from contemporary classical and electroacoustic music, to original folk composition and arrangement, and creating and performing music and sound design for live theatre. Website
Shenstone Singers is for those who want to sing purely for the joy of it! Since 2015, Shenstone Singers have been meeting on a Friday morning in Halesowen. This is a small group for those who want to sing without worrying about harmonies and learning songs for performances. While they have entertained in the community on occasions the main purpose is to make the singers feel good at the end of a meeting. They sing folk, gospel, popular and show songs. Website
Shenstone Roses were formed in 2018 and are a small upper voices ensemble of 12 singers. They perform a wide repertoire, including popular and show tunes, gospel and folk, jazz and classical. Website
Meet the mentors
Jenni Pinnock
Jenni’s music combines quirky time signatures, soaring melodies and classical forms. Her works focus on science and nature and are regularly performed worldwide. She frequently collaborates with creative practitioners across the arts alongside delivering projects in multiple settings. Recent works include touring installation Deception Island (Story Machine) and Snapshots (collection of standalone musical theatre pieces). Website
Fraser Trainer
Fraser is a composer, teacher and workshop leader with five London Sinfonietta commissions to his name and has also written for groups including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Fraser leads many creative and collaborative projects in a wide variety of contexts and regularly trains musicians and teachers both in the Uk and abroad. Website
Lynne Plowman
Lynne Plowman’s compositions range from delicate instrumental solos to dramatic large-scale vocal, theatrical and orchestral works. Commissioners and collaborators include the Welsh National Opera, Glyndebourne and the Royal Shakespeare Company amongst others. Lynne is a composition tutor and Honorary Fellow of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and resident composer for the Dyfed Young Composers scheme in West Wales. She is Chair of the ISCM Welsh section and an Ivors Academy Senator. Website
Seán Doherty
Seán Doherty is a composer, performer and musicologist. He was introduced to music through the Irish fiddle tradition of his hometown of Derry. He read music at St John’s College, Cambridge, after which he completed a Ph.D. at Trinity College, Dublin. He is an assistant professor of music at Dublin City University. His compositions are frequently commissioned, performed and broadcast both nationally and internationally. Website
Colin Riley
Colin’s music blends new technologies, improvisation, songwriting and large-scale classical form. His latest works include a multi-media orchestral suite Hearing Places (BBCNOW), a video-EP Masts, Tunnel and Trees (Louise McMonagle), Earth Voices (Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra) and his recent collaborative album Isolated Pieces. A disc of his chamber music Shenanigans was recently released on NMC. He has music coming out in 2023 on albums from Nic Pendelbury, Matthew Schellhorn and Steve Bingham respectively. He also runs his own label and writes a regular blog called Riley Notes. Website
