Pathway to the Orchestra 2025

deadline extended

Tŷ Cerdd is calling self-taught / untrained artists, composers and music-creators who would like to learn how to work with orchestral performers. This will be second iteration of Pathway to the Orchestra, following the success and impact of the programme in 2023-24.

Has your route to music creation excluded formal university or conservatoire training?
Are you able to read music, even if you’re new to working with scores?

This could be the pathway for you!

Perhaps you are…

an artist or composer working in electronics who wants to learn how to work with performers and transfer ideas to orchestral instruments (clarinet, violin, cello and piano)...
…or a self-taught singer-songwriter who wants to add scope and colour to your sound through instrumentation...
…or an experimental artist who works with sound/music and has come to composition through other artforms, such as visual arts, live performance, and DIY practice.

We are keen to receive applications from individuals who are under-represented and have faced barriers in the arts/music sectors. We particularly welcome applications from disabled and neurodivergent people, people who are Black, Asian and from the Global Majority, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with lower socio-economic backgrounds or with ongoing socio-economic barriers to their creative work.

ABOUT PATHWAY TO THE ORCHESTRA

Over a series of one-to-one mentoring sessions with composer Lynne Plowman – plus supplementary resources and sessions from Tŷ Cerdd and project partners BBC National Orchestra of Wales – four music-creators will receive bespoke training and skill-development in writing for orchestral instruments (clarinet, violin, cello and piano).

Each participating composer will receive a payment of £600 (in addition to expenses for travel within Wales, and accommodation where necessary).

In addition to the one-to-one mentoring sessions with Lynne, the project will include group visits to BBC NOW performances and workshops with a chamber ensemble of BBC NOW performers, alongside sessions with BBC NOW and specialist support from Tŷ Cerdd staff.

DATES & LOCATION

Workshops will take place from early October 2025 to April 2026.

Dates for 1-to-1 mentoring sessions will be arranged once participants are recruited, but all participants must be available in-person for the following dates:

Workshops:

10 October 2025 – half-day kick-off in Cardiff
27 January 2026
22 April 2026

BBC Now concerts (evenings):

6 November: concert #1 (Swansea)
20 November: concert #2 (Cardiff)
27 November: concert #3 (Cardiff)
8 January (Cardiff)
Composition Wales 11-13 February (Cardiff)

Update: To find out more about this opportunity, you can watch our online information session from Monday 14 July HERE.

WHY US?

As Music Centre Wales, Tŷ Cerdd is committed to supporting and developing new Welsh music of all kinds – reinforced by our mantra, “If you’re making music in Wales, it’s Welsh music!”
BBC National Orchestra of Wales is the national symphony orchestra, and invests in the development of composers, particularly through BBC Composition: Wales, its ongoing artist development platform. The next iteration of Composition: Wales is running early in 2026, and the open call to artists is currently live.
Lynne Plowman is a leading Wales-based composer whose work is performed regularly on stages around the world. She is a composition tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the resident composer for the pioneering Dyfed Young Composers scheme.

ELIGIBILITY

You’ve not had formal composition training in university or conservatoire, and you’re keen to bring orchestral textures into your work.
Composers from any musical genre are welcome, although you’ll be familiar with / a regular user of musical notation.
You’re a Welsh music-creator. If you’re creating original music and you’ve been based in Wales for at least a year (or if you’re born in Wales but living elsewhere), you’re eligible. Expenses bursaries will be available for artists’ travel within Wales. NB travel outside of Wales will not be covered.

You must be available to commit to the pathway’s planned dates and attend in person.

If you’re interested, but you have some questions…

…we can chat with you directly by phone or Zoom. Email or call to arrange a chat.

HOW TO APPLY

We will ask you to upload the following information to our online PORTAL.

N.B. We advise you to prepare and save this in a separate document beforehand, as you cannot save applications in progress on the portal.

1. Personal details: your name, email address, mobile number, address, plus confirmation that you are over 18, and that you’ve not studied composition in a university or conservatoire (or other post-school institution.)

2. Tell us about your practice: Tell us what you love to do as an artist/music-creator, and what you’ve been most proud of in your work. (Max 200 words)

3. Why would you like to be part of this pathway? Tell us the nature of what you’d like to learn through this pathway. As part of your answer, please explain a little about your knowledge/experience of using musical notation. You may like to think about:

How do you hope this opportunity might benefit your work in the short and long-term?
Why is now a good time for this opportunity?
What appeals to you about working as part of a cohort?
What will orchestral instrumentation add to your creative practice?
(Max 400 words)

4. Examples of your work: please include links to two pieces of your music (NB: please send links rather than sound or video files; if you need help creating links, contact enquiries@tycerdd.org.)

5. Please tell us if there is any access support you need to enable you to participate in this opportunity. Also note that we invite you to share and discuss your access riders and requirements with us at any point in the project. This information will NOT be shared with the panel. If you have any questions about access or sharing this information, please email our Artist Development Manager, Freya Dooley (freya.dooley@tycerdd.org).

NB: Video and audio applications are also welcomed. Record your answers to questions 2 and 3 above (up to 5 minutes’ duration), and upload a link to your recording, adding the information requested in questions 1, 4 & 5 to the upload form.

If you need help creating a link to your video, Freya Dooley or enquiries@tycerdd.org for support.

TIMELINE & PROCESS

Deadline extended! New deadline for applications: 12:00 midday on Wednesday 13 August
The panel will consist of Lynne Plowman, Tom Elstob (music-creator; previous Pathway to the Orchestra participant) plus Deborah Keyser and Freya Dooley (both of Tŷ Cerdd)
We’ll let you know the outcome by Friday 22 August.

If you’re interested, but you have some questions…

…we can chat with you directly by phone or Zoom. Email Freya Dooley or enquiries@tycerdd.org us to arrange a call. We want to remove as many barriers as we can – so if there’s anything you’d like to talk to us about, let us know and we will try to help to find a solution.

Hear the results of the previous Pathway to the Orchestra participants here

▶ Call for CoDI Côr

Tŷ Cerdd is a member of the PRS Foundation Talent Development Network