The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra has today announced the launch of a brand-new community composition project. Open Score invites all Australians – regardless of age, background or level of musical training – to submit a 1-to-2-minute excerpt of music around the theme ‘Sense of Place’.

Jaime Martín conducts the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Samantha Meuleman

Celebrating the orchestra’s 120th anniversary, the program aims to capture a “musical snapshot” of the Australian community and prioritises “expression over technical perfection”.

“Open Score is part of our ongoing commitment to access, inclusion and shared cultural ownership,” MSO CEO Richard Wigley said. “It celebrates creativity in all its forms and reflects our belief that orchestral music belongs not just on the concert hall stage, but in the lives, places and imaginations of people everywhere.”

Submitted works will be reviewed throughout the year by MSO’s Artistic and Learning & Engagement teams, and selected works “may be recorded by MSO musicians, shared across MSO digital and social platforms, and in rare cases, workshopped or performed live”. Those composers will receive copies of their work.

More about Open Score can be found here.