Artology have opened submissions for their annual Fanfare competition, and have also announced a new competition for budding young composers: To Country.

Fanfare, winner of the 2016 Art Music Award for Excellent in Music Education and now in its eighth year, asks young composers to write a 30-second composition designed to be played before the start of concerts to encourage audiences to take their seats. Open to anyone aged 12-21, the judges are looking for compositions “that have something to say” rather than those from strong musical backgrounds.

Mark Vines and Lyle Chan with 2020 Fanfare winner Hanny Hunt. Photo © Mayu Kanamori

A number of applicants will be given the opportunity to develop their Fanfares under the guidance of the program’s mentors, composers Nicholas Vines, Lyle Chan, Jessica Wells and Chrysoulla Markoulli. From there, applicants can be selected for a recording session with Australian Youth Orchestra, concerts with the Sydney and Queensland Youth Orchestras, or a workshop with Adelaide Youth Orchestras.

Writing in Limelight in the lead-up to their works being performed by...