Wigmore Hall has announced an international call for submissions from composers with the winning 12 applicants each receiving a paid commission to write a new, lockdown-inspired work.

The only rules for the submission are that applicants be over the age of 18, and have not been previously commissioned by Wigmore Hall.

“For some, lockdown has been a time of anxiety and despair, of isolation and crisis, of discrimination and inequality. For others it has been a time of renewal and reflection, resolve and occasionally joy,” said Director John Gilhooly in a press release. “By commissioning 12 new works, we want to reflect all of these and many other situations. This is not just a reaction to the pandemic, but to any world or political events in this period that have inspired composers.

“Since 2005, Wigmore Hall has commissioned or co-commissioned over 500 new works from composers all over the world. We are looking for new voices in this project, so if you have already been commissioned by Wigmore Hall, then unfortunately you will not be eligible for this scheme. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, and in particular, we would like to encourage applications from female, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME), disabled and LGBTI composers, as they are under-represented in our commissioning efforts so far.”

Submissions will be reviewed sometime in autumn by a panel of industry experts. The new works by the winning composers will be premiered at Wigmore Hall beginning in January 2022.