As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, the EBU has launched the EBU Music Commissioning Scheme, a new initiative uniting media orchestras, choirs, festivals and classical radio channels across Europe and beyond.
The project will see the creation and broadcast of ten newly commissioned works, showcasing a diverse group of composers from around the world and celebrating public service media’s commitment to supporting contemporary music.
This is the first time such a broad alliance of public service music organizations and the EBU have collaborated on a single, coordinated commissioning project by combining their reach and resources to support and share new music on an international scale.
Spanning eight countries and four continents – from South Africa to Iran and from Brazil to Norway – the selected composers reflect a broad aesthetic range and the rich diversity of musical traditions across Europe and beyond. The artistic brief challenged each composer to explore contemporary themes and the enduring values of public service media; engagement, inclusivity and accessibility.
These commissions will be premiered between September 2025 and the 2028–2029 season, recorded and broadcast by public radio broadcasters and distributed throughout the Euroradio network.
The ten composers were selected by a panel of 19 music producers and media orchestra and festival managers from 14 EBU member organizations, with the goal of identifying artists with distinctive artistic voices and strong storytelling potential.
A second phase of the scheme is already being developed, aiming to coordinate further national premieres and expand participation among EBU classical radio stations.
WDR Symphony Orchestra with conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni premiere a new work by South African composer Andile Khumalo at the WDR Funkhaus.
Danish National Vocal Ensemble, under Phillip Faber, presents Edgard Moya Godoy’s El ladrillo que cayó, inspired by the myth of Babel and the sound world of Argentine tango, in Copenhagen. Visit the concert's webpage.
SWR Symphony Orchestra with conductor Elena Schwarz premiere a piece by Croatian composer Mirela Ivičević at the Donaueschinger Musiktage.
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Year of production
2025