LCO New

You can apply if:

1. You are aged 16+ (there is no upper age limit)
2. You’ve not had your compositions performed by a professional orchestra before
3. You are a resident of UK

If you have any questions about your eligibility, please email [email protected]

We strive for inclusive working practices, to reflect the audiences and communities we work with, and to create accessible opportunities. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups in our industry and from those who have had challenging circumstances. For example, this may include whether you:

• are female or another gender minority
• are neurodiverse (this might include dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, ADHD, autistic spectrum, Tourette’s syndrome and others),
• are disabled or have a learning difficulty or a long-term health condition
• are from an ethnic minority which is underrepresented in the classical music industry
• are a member of the LGBTQ+ community 
• identify yourself as working class or from a disadvantaged socioeconomic background
• experienced being in care at any point
• have been a young parent or young carer
• have been a refugee or asylum seeker

There is no application fee and the scheme is free to all participants

We aim to make our course as accessible as possible. So, LCO will be able to provide successful participants a contribution to travel and/or childcare costs

You will need to submit:

– TWO audio recordings

These do not have to be new pieces, but should represent your musical influences and compositional style. Compositions will not be judged on the quality of the audio recording. If you need help creating an audio file, please email [email protected]

You will not need to submit a written score, or need to answer any questions! 

We will also encourage you complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form. Gathering this data helps us to understand who we are reaching and the appeal of the scheme to different groups of people. This helps us to make informed improvements in future years. 

Please note that applications for 22-23 have now closed. 

The online application form is open from 1 Feb – 18 March ’22

• Graham Fitkin
• Blasio Kavuma
• Freya Waley-Cohen

The LCO panel have been chosen for their skills in composition and range of compositional approaches.

The panel will listen to all submitted audio recordings and mark on quality of the composition and potential of the composer.

All applications will be anonymised for the panel for the first round, so that they can focus on the music. This removes unconscious bias.

Please contact [email protected] if you would like more information on the scoring process.

The highest scoring applicants will be shortlisted. Where scoring is equal, those from under-represented groups will be given priority, in line with our positive action commitments. The panel will reconvene to select the final 5 applications.

We will aim to offer constructive feedback to those applicants that ask. We will aim to give this feedback within 2 months of requesting it.