Guildhall composers selected for 2020-21 Royal Philharmonic Society Composers

Jonathan Woolgar is a doctoral researcher at Guildhall School studying with Julian Anderson, and will be writing music for Cheltenham Music Festival. His thesis is entitled ‘Rethinking Structure: A Matter of Scale’, exploring approaches to compositional structure based on the notion of scale, with a starting point in the relationship between fragmentary utterances and more continuous statements.

Sylvia Lim teaches composition and workshop skills at Guildhall, and will be writing for the Wigmore Hall, as Rosie Johnson RPS / Wigmore Hall Apprentice Composer. Sylvia recently completed her PhD – ‘Exploring organic decay through sound’ – at Guildhall, where she also gained a first-class Bachelor of Music and a Master of Music with distinction.

Each composer joining the RPS Composers receives a commission from the RPS and a performance with a noted British ensemble, venue or festival, as well as support from the Society to ensure they can secure future commissions and performances of their own.

Jonathan Woolgar said: "It's an absolute thrill to be named as an RPS Composer and to take advantage of the amazing opportunities offered by the scheme. It's also especially lovely to be representing Guildhall along with Sylvia - the training and support I've received here have been truly invaluable in my development as a composer."

Sylvia Lim said: "I’m very excited to work closely with Wigmore Hall’s education team. I really admire the way they use music to empower vulnerable people in the community, and I can’t wait to get involved."

See the full roster of 2020-21 RPS Composers on the RPS website, where you can also find out more about their work.