‘Composers want people to listen to their music, they won’t want them doing something else while their music is on‘ Aaron Copland

Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, composers have written for theatre, and yet their visibility as artists is noticeably less than that of their counterparts in cinema and television. We want to change that.

Join us for the first such gathering – as far as we know – of composers who specialise in contributing to theatre. This one-off symposium will bring together established practitioners and emerging artists, as well as representatives of commissioning organisations and agencies. During two panel discussions, hear experts discuss and debate the position of composers in theatre, ask questions and have your say, and take the opportunity to network with panellists and other attendees.

The exciting line-up of panellists includes: Bruce O’Neil (Head of Music at the RSC); Michael Bruce (Composer-in-residence at the Donmar Warehouse); Rachel Daniels (Agent at Berlin Associates); Richard Paine (Faber Music) and freelance composers Tayo Akinbode (King Lear at Royal Exchange Manchester); Alex Baranowski (Fanny & Alexander at The Old Vic) and Ruth Chan (Snow in Midsummer), and many more. The event will be chaired by Gary Yershon (Associate Artist of The Old Vic and RSC).

From 2pm–5pm