Seventeen composers have been announced as the recipients of the 2026 Art Music fund, presented by APRA AMCOS in partnership with the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music. Fifteen Australian composers and two NZ composers will be granted $7,500 to create a brand new commissioned work.

This year’s recipients are Alexander Garsden, Andrée Greenwell, Benjamin Shannon, Ceridwen McCooey, Chris Williams, Dane Yates, Dominic Flynn, Jack Symonds, Jeremy Rose, Katia Geha, Meta Cohen, Miyama McQueen-Tokita, Rachel Emma Lewindon, Ripley Kavara, Solomon Frank, Jasmine Lovell-Smith and Ruby Solly.

Top: Alexander Garsden, Jasmine Lovell-Smith, Jeremy Rose, Ceridwen McCooey, Dane Yates, Rachel Lewindon. Middle: Meta Cohen, Benjamin Shannon, Miyama McQueen, Dominic Flynn, Katia Geha, Chris Williams. Bottom: Solomon Frank, Ruby Solly & collaborators Jesse Austin-Stewart and Elliot Vaughan, Andree Greenwell, Jack Symonds, Ripley Kavara & collaborator Nadeem Tiafau Eshraghi. Photos supplied

Established in 2016, the Art Music Fund has delivered more than $1 million dollars to over 120 Australian and New Zealand composers. This year, Music Australia contributed $45,000 in support, which has allowed the Fund to support six additional composers.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see the Art Music Fund go from strength to strength, this year welcoming 17 new recipients and crossing the AU$1 million mark since its inception,” said Australian Music Centre CEO Catherine Haridy.

“For composers and music creators, this kind of dedicated support can be genuinely transformative, creating the conditions for bold, imaginative ideas to become lasting works that enrich our musical culture.”

Composers

Alexander Gardsen (VIC) will write a set of solo double bass works for the Berlin-based Ensemble KNM, who will perform the work for its 2027 international tour.

Andrée Greenwell. Photo supplied.

Working with Spanish dancer/choreographer Sandra Kramerová, Andrée Greenwell (NSW) will compose music for a dance work to be premiered in Europe.

Benjamin Shannon (QLD) will develop a work for an 11-piece band with both scored and improvised elements to be recorded and toured around Australia in 2027.

Ceridwen McCooey (INT) will compose a semi-improvisational work and perform in its premiere with the New York-based Bergamot Quartet.

Celebrating poet William Blake, Chris Williams‘ (INT) choral work Illuminations will be premiered by the UK’s Samsara in 2027.

Dane Yates (WA) will develop a long-form electroacoustic work for the Midwest Art Music Ensemble, which will see a release with international label Bedroom Community.

Dominic Flynn (TAS) will collaborate with Melbourne’s Homophonic!, Tasmania’s Ensemble Mania and Amsterdam’s IHOS for a new trio work marking the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Tasmania.

Jack Symonds. Photo © Daniel Boud

Jack Symonds (NSW) collaborates with bass-baritone Jeremy Kleeman to produce a 20-minute song cycle, set to be premiered across 2026–27.

Saxophonist-composer Jeremy Rose (NSW) will collaborate with Poland’s Lutosławski Quartet to develop a new major work for improvising saxophonist, string quartet and electronics.

Switzerland-based Australian composer Katia Geha writes an oboe concerto for ELISION Ensemble.

Meta Cohen (VIC) will add to their collection of works about 17th-century French bisexual opera singer and sword-fighter Julie d’Aubigny with a new instrumental suite written for Syzygy Ensemble.

Miyama McQueen Tokita (INT) writes a work for five voices and bass koto, which will see its world premiere at Vancouver New Music in 2027.

Victorian-based composer Rachel Emma Lewinen will write a new music/drama work for clarinet, flute, cello/voice, piano/voice and percussion.

In collaboration with artist Nadeem Tiafau Eshraghi, Ripley Kavara (VIC) develops a new sound installation that examines “contemporary iterations of culturally-informed sound” from Papua New Guinea and Sāmoa, to be presented at Melbourne Museum.

To be premiered at the Sydney Opera House, Solomon Frank (NSW) will compose, develop, and perform clarinet in a new 70–80 minute chamber opera for soprano Jane Sheldon, cellist Ruben Palma, percussionist Niki Johnson and live performer Ian Sinclair.

Jasmine Lovell-Smith will compose a set of seven works for improvising ensemble, to be performed in Mexico and New Zealand across 2027.

Commissioned for the 4 Islands concert series, NZ composer Ruby Solly writes a new work for open instrumentation and fixed media entitled Whakapaparanga.

More about the Art Music Fund can be found here.