The Australia Ensemble UNSW aims to foster greater engagement in and recognition of composition and chamber music activities at UNSW. Support from Emeritus Professor Roger Layton AM (pictured below) and Merrilyn Layton have facilitated a UNSW composition fellowship to again be offered valued at $10,000 for one year, for an Emerging Composer to write chamber music works as part of the Australia Ensemble’s outreach program.

About the Fellowship

The Fellowship will engage a selected emerging composer to write two works across the course of a 12-month period – inclusive of one piece for a small ensemble and one piece for a large ensemble, through a competitive selection process determined by UNSW. The $10,000 Fellowship will be paid as a stipend to the winning applicant.

The Emerging Composer will also be eligible for mentoring sessions with a Composition staff member from the UNSW School of the Arts and Media, member/s of the Australia Ensemble, and an external composition mentor. The Emerging Composer’s works will feature in at least one workshop that will be made available to current UNSW students, UNSW staff and members of the public.

2022-2023 Layton Fellow

We are pleased to announce Angus Davison as the 2022-2023 Layton Emerging Composition Fellow.

Angus Davison composes music with 'bright energy' (Limelight), 'considerable poignancy' (The Mercury), and 'a respect for sound in itself' (Cut Common). His music often explores human relationships with nature, inviting listeners to deepen their fascination for the world around them.

Angus's music has been performed in Australia, Europe, and the US. He has worked with leading performers and ensembles including the Melbourne and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Offspring, Omega Ensemble, and Michael Kieran Harvey. Originally from Tasmania, Angus is currently based in Sydney where he teaches at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Applications have closed for 2022-23. Please check back later for 2023-24 Fellowship plans and announcements.

Who can apply

The Fellowship will be appointed to a permanent resident or Australian citizen and still in an early career stage (defined as being within the first 7 years of creative practice).

Before Applying

1.  Please read the Conditions of Entry
2.  Select a portfolio of least three pieces (scores and audio) to submit as representative of your work. Two works of the portfolio must be purely instrumental (ie, no voices), one must be for chamber ensemble (up to 6 players), and one must be from the last three years.
3. Save your pdf scores and audio files to a location where you can share the URL. This can be using a file sharing service (Google Drive, DropBox, We Transfer, CloudShare, etc), or web-hosted services (YouTube, Soundcloud, etc). Please make sure that these links remain active until the adjudication process is complete on 20 May 2022.

How the winner is chosen

The 2022-23 Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship winner will be decided upon by a selection panel including

• Artistic Chair of Australia Ensemble UNSW, or nominee of the Australia Ensemble UNSW.
• Invited external Composition expert.
• Head of Culture of UNSW, or nominee.

The panel will select a shortlist of up to five applicants, who will be required to respond to some short questions relating to their experience and suitability for the Fellowship. Applicants selected for the shortlist will be notified by Friday 22 April 2022, and the successful 2022-23 Layton Emerging Composer Fellowship recipient will be decided and announced by Friday 20 May 2022.The selection panel may decline to apply money if it considers that there are no candidates who are suitable or of sufficient merit.

If you need help

Please contact us if you have any queries about the process, or are having trouble applying:

Phone: 02 9385 4874

Email: australia.ensemble@unsw.edu.au