Ty Cerdd, the organisation that helps promote, protect and enhance Welsh music making and both professional and amateur performers has launched its far reaching CoDI Composer Pathways initiative.

The multi-faceted programme aims to create a community of Welsh composers, promoting shared learning and collaboration.

It has four main strands: Chamber, Electronic, Theatre and Interact.

Chamber and electronic

Following a call to composers, six will be selected for each of the Chamber and Electronic strands.

Leading Wales-based composer Lynne Plowman and the Berkeley Ensemble will mentor the chamber composers; working with them over a series of workshops to create new works for performance at Cardiff University School of Music chamber music series in April 2019.

Six selected electronic composers will work in a similar model; mentoring coming from Swansea Laptop Orchestra (its two composers Jenn Kirby and Simon Kilshaw), and culminating in a public performance at the Bangor Music Festival in February 2019.

Theatre

Meanwhile, the theatre element will offer a role as composer-in-residence with Hijinx's community company Odyssey — working with this inclusive theatre company through autumn 2018 to create a soundtrack for their Christmas musical theatre production.

The selected composer will work with an experience mentor, and with Director Jon Dafydd Kidd and writer Llinos Mai, to develop and realise the music for the production, which will run at the Wales Millennium Centre in December 2018.

Interact

Finally, the interact element sits at the heart of CoDI; an online hub complemented by a series of workshops and networking sessions around Wales, as well as opportunities for mentoring, and eight 'Buddy' placements for composers with non-professional music makers, such as choirs, brass bands and orchestras.

CoDI Composer Pathways is funded by support from Arts Council of Wales, and from the PRS Foundation, by whom Ty Cerdd has been announced as one of 40 Talent Development Partners across the UK.

In addition, PRS is supporting the Chamber strand, in line with their work to develop the careers of composers around the UK, whilst the Presteigne Festival, a Welsh organisation celebrated for its support of new music, is also a partner in Chamber.

The composers themselves will be at the heart of the initiative, and we aim to continue expanding the programmeDeborah Keyser

Nurture Welsh music

Ty Cerdd Director Deborah Keyser told 4BR: "Ty Cerdd is here to nurture Welsh music — and where would Welsh music be without composers?

These artists consistently tell us that they need more creative opportunities, more ways to connect with and learn from each other, so CoDI is our response. The composers themselves will be at the heart of the initiative, and we aim to continue expanding the programme."

She added: "We are extremely grateful for the generous support of Arts Council of Wales, PRS Foundation, PRS, and the Presteigne Festival — all of which has made CoDI possible. We very much look forward to connecting with composers from around Wales."

Closing date and more information:

The closing date for applications is 29th June

To find out more, go to: https://www.tycerdd.org/