I used to give a lecture for young musicians entitled “How to use music to change the world” which started with the obvious question: “Who wants to change the world?” After the show of hands, I would then tell them how to do it, step by step. Over the years, I realised that lecture was becoming less useful, as less students’ hands went up – they no longer dared to change the world, they just wanted to make a living. Therefore I am now giving that information out to you, Limelight’s wise, music-loving readers, to enable you to have the chance instead to remake things as you truly wish them to be, by teaching you how to commission and create a masterwork that will change the world. This approach should work on any level and at any scale.

Pick a powerful context

There must be something about your “change” project which inspires you, the composer and the audience. There is nothing wrong with commissioning a work just to entertain people, but to change the world through a work of music, you will need subject matter with sufficient gravitas. It will also help when you come to raise the money from international,...