#ACF65 Commission – Open Call for Composers


To celebrate their 65th anniversary, the Austrian Cultural Forum London is inviting aspiring and established composers to apply for a composing commission for three instruments of your choice. Deadline for applications is June 30th, 2021, 5PM (BST).

An international jury of experts will select the winning composer who will be awarded a composition fee of 4000€ to produce a new work to mark this special anniversary. The commissioned piece must range between 10 to 15 minutes in length and will be performed at the Austrian Cultural Forum in London when circumstances allow.

#ACF65 Commission

The ACF London is taking this opportunity to commission a unique composition to celebrate 65 years of creativity, exchange, collaboration and cultural partnerships. As inspiration they look to the significant Austrian and Jewish refugee and émigré community in the United Kingdom and their valuable contribution to British cultural life.

ACF65 Logo (c) ACF London

This year, Austria commemorates 80 years since the beginning of the deportations which forced so many of the country’s cultural and artistic elite abroad.
 The Austrian and Jewish exile and émigré community made major contributions to the British music landscape in the ensuing decades as performers, composers, arrangers, conductors and founders of music festivals.

With this commission we would like to honor this community who not only established numerous cultural societies and institutes but was also central to making the Austrian Cultural Forum London what it is today.

Please email your submission to office@acflondon.org with “#ACF65 Composition – Submission” and your name in the subject line.

Submission Guidelines

All entries should meet the following guidelines:

  • Please complete the application form.
  • Please provide a PDF score and streamed recording (audio or video link) of two of your previous compositions as examples of your work. Your example works should have been written within the last five years.
  • Please note: If you are successful in your application, you will be offered a formal paid commission to write a new piece.
  • For logistical reasons, submissions are subject to Austrian citizenship or permanent residency in Austria.
  • Composers must be aged 18 or over at the time of submission.
  • The closing date for submissions is Wednesday, 30 June 2021 – 5PM (BST).
  • No entries will be considered after that date.

Selection Process

  • Submissions will be reviewed in July by a jury chaired by Gerold Gruber (Director & Founder exil.arte Centre), Mary Dullea (Musician & Director of Performance at Royal Holloway, University of London) and Lukas Haselböck (Composer & Musicologist, nominated by Arnold Schönberg Center).
  • The selected composer will be announced on Wednesday, 11 August 2021 and will be offered a paid commission. The new composition will be premiered at the Austrian Cultural Forum London in the near future, when circumstances allow.

Don’t be shy, apply!