17 recipients of 2026 Art Music Fund announced
Over $1 million awarded to 120 composers in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand since launch
The Art Music Fund is a partnership of APRA AMCOS, the Australian Music Centre and SOUNZ
APRA AMCOS, in partnership with the Australian Music Centre (AMC) and SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music, has announced the recipients of the 2026 Art Music Fund.
17 established composers, 15 from Australia and two from Aotearoa New Zealand, are receiving $7,500 each to create a commissioned work with the intention of ensuring a long artistic life for the work and its composer. An additional $45,000 in funding was generously provided this year by Music Australia to support six extra Australian composers.
This year’s recipients are Australian composers 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 and Solomon Frank, and New Zealanders Jasmine Lovell-Smith and Ruby Solly.
The works receiving funding this year range from song cycles to experimental compositions, choral works and ensembles tackling topics from the life of poet William Blake to the sounds and landscape of regional Western Australia and the 30th anniversary of the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Tasmania.
Saxophonist and composer Jeremy Rose, who is developing a work in collaboration with the internationally acclaimed Lutosławski String Quartet, explains: “This grant is like striking the first note of a long-imagined piece, transforming an idea into unexpected possibilities. It provides momentum, helping ambitious artistic projects that can grow into meaningful collaborations and lasting works.”
The Art Music Fund was launched in 2016 in recognition of the limited opportunities for art music composers to have new works performed. It directly funds new work and provides winning composers with professional support to grow their repertoire in a sustainable way. Since then, over $1 million in funding has been given out to over 120 composers across both countries.
Previous winners have included Biddy Connor, Cat Hope, Christine Pan, Dylan Lardelli, Erkki Veltheim, Liza Lim, Megan Alice Clune, Mindy Meng Wang and Phoebe Bognar.
Chris O’Neill, Director of Creative Programs at APRA AMCOS, says: “Congratulations to this year’s recipients! We can’t wait to see these works come to fruition over the coming year and hope that the funding will go some way to providing professional support to maintain long term, sustainable practice.
“Reaching $1 million in funding since launching ten years ago is a huge milestone for the Art Music Fund, and receiving an extra boost from Music Australia this year meant another six Australian composers could receive assistance. We hope to continue supporting composers on both sides of the ditch for many more years to come.”
Catherine Haridy, CEO of AMC, adds: "It's incredibly rewarding to see the Art Music Fund go from strength to strength, this year welcoming 17 new recipients and crossing the $1 million mark since its inception. 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.
“The AMC is delighted to continue our partnership with APRA AMCOS and SOUNZ to make this possible and we extend our thanks to Music Australia for this year’s additional contribution. Congratulations to each and every one of this year's recipients. We look forward to hearing the extraordinary new works this support will make possible."
"This is such a valuable opportunity for composers in Aotearoa, helping to support innovative new works and sustainable creative careers," concludes Hannah Darroch, Chief Executive of SOUNZ Centre for New Zealand Music | Toi te Arapūoru. "I'm delighted that the Art Music Fund can support these two incredibly talented wahine in 2026, and I look forward to hearing Jasmine and Ruby's works. SOUNZ is grateful to be involved in this collaboration with APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre - congratulations to all of the recipients."
