The Adopt a Music Creator project, formerly known as the 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 and funded by the PRS Foundation, Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust and 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 and professional recording. Meet this year's pairings!
2025 Adopt a Music Creator pairings
- Barnet Choral Society and Au Arias
- Linlithgow String Orchestra and Deborah Shaw
- Southend Vox Chamber Choir with Aran O’Grady
- Redland Wind Band with Katrine Aziz
Barnet Choral Society with Au Arias (mentored by Jenni Pinnock)
Barnet Choral Society was founded in 1940 and currently has around 80 members. They provide an opportunity to learn and enjoy choral music in a relaxed and positive atmosphere with occasional workshops that are usually open to all interested singers. They are a non-audition adult choir and welcome singers of all abilities with a mix of material which they hope will suit everybody. Their repertoire has ranged from old to new, from sacred works to opera choruses and folk songs, from light-hearted to serious and from straightforward to difficult. Performing mainly in Barnet, they give four concerts a year using professional soloists and orchestras where appropriate. Website / Facebook / X (Twitter)
Au Arias, an Argentinian-born composer and conductor living in Glasgow, has created works such as a bandoneon concerto and the opera 'Gruta de Ninfas'. A highlight of his career was the 2024 premiere of 'Tango Mass' by The Mackintosh Choir. Au has performed in Turkey, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. He currently conducts orchestras and choirs around Scotland and the North of England. Website
Linlithgow String Orchestra with Deborah Shaw (funded by Creative Scotland and mentored by Ailie Robertson)
The Linlithgow String Orchestra was formed in May 2016 by a group of local amateur musicians keen to establish a community orchestra for the Linlithgow area. In March 2023, the orchestra performed 'Zadok The Priest' as part of a massed group of musicians and choristers from other Linlithgow based music groups. For the last two consecutive years, the orchestra have accompanied the Church Choir at St. Michael's Parish Church in their annual Christmas Carol Service. As they approach their 9th year in the town, the Adopt-A-Music-Creator project is an exciting venture for 2025. Website / Facebook / Instagram
Deborah Shaw is a composer, instrumentalist (piano, harp, voice), and sonic artist who fuses live instruments, collected sounds, voice, and progressive electronica to create immersive sonic landscapes. Her work explores themes of community, empathy, space and place, addressing personal and social issues such as mental health, women's rights, and exploring the voices of mothers and carers. Website / Facebook
Southend Vox Chamber Choir with Aran O’Grady (mentored by Fraser Trainer)
Southend Vox Chamber Choir is a women's, auditioned choir based in Southend-on-Sea and is sister choir to Southend Vox. Their repertoire covers a wide range of music, from challenging and intricate choral pieces, to swing, soul and pop tunes. They love performing at weddings, civil ceremonies, and local concerts and also take part in choral competitions, progressing through to the second stage of the National Choir of the Year in 2016, and winning multiple awards at the Leigh-on-Sea Music Festival and the Southend Festival for Performing Arts between 2018 and 2024. Website / Facebook / Instagram / X (Twitter)
Aran O’Grady is an Irish composer and arranger, living in London. His musical is evocative and narrative-driven, with a focus on catchy melodies and dance rhythms. In 2022 he was one of five composers selected to compose a collaborative opera for Sky Arts and Grange Park Opera. Aran is composer-in-residence with the acclaimed Dublin-based group, Glasshouse Ensemble. Website / Instagram / YouTube
Redland Wind Band with Katrine Aziz (mentored by Lynne Plowman)
Redland Wind Band is a community ensemble of over 40 members from across Bristol and its surrounding areas. The band rehearses throughout the year and performs high-quality concerts in a range of indoor and outdoor locations, having a lot of fun in the process. They play the full range of wind band repertoire including original wind band compositions as well as arrangements and transcriptions of classical and popular music covering a wide variety of musical styles. Website / Facebook / Instagram
Katrine Aziz is a composer, musician and sound artist whose work ranges from short film scores to contemporary concert music. She recently completed a master’s in composition at London College of Music and has written for Ealing Wind Orchestra and violinist Timothy Schwarz, among others. Katrine’s work explores mythology and the creation of immersive spaces through music. Her film scores have been heard at the Holy Art Gallery and the London Experimental Film Festival. Instagram / Soundcloud / YouTube
Meet the mentors
Ailie Robertson
Ailie is a multi-award-winning Scottish composer who has been commissioned by the BBC Proms, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bang on a Can, Cappella Nova, Exaudi and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra amongst others. She is currently composer-in-residence with Sound Festival and Glyndebourne Opera. She was the winner of the ‘Achievement in New Music’ prize at the Scottish Awards for New Music. Website
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 the touring installation Deception Island (Story Machine) and Snapshots (collection of standalone musical theatre pieces). 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. Website
Fraser Trainer
Fraser teaches at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A composer with a vivid and direct musical language, Fraser has five London Sinfonietta commissions to his name and has also written music for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Proms, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Fraser leads many creative, collaborative projects in a wide variety of contexts and regularly trains musicians and teachers. Website
