In 2016, Artology’s Fanfare Competition won the Art Music Award for Excellent in Music Education. Since then, the annual event – designed to develop and encourage budding young composers by recording selected fanfares and broadcasting them at venues around Australia – has only grown.

Artology has launched its 2021 Fanfare Competition with its ongoing partner the Australian Youth Orchestra. Artology will also partner with the Queensland Youth Orchestra, who came on board last year to expand the opportunities for Fanfare entrants. This year, the Sydney Youth Orchestra is involved too.

Mentors Mark Vines and Lyle Chan with 2020 winner Hannah Hunt, whose Fanfare was played at QPAC. Photograph © Mayu Kanamori

Now in its seventh year, the annual challenge invites young people from 12 to 21 years of age to come up with a 30-second work. Entrants don’t need to have a strong musical background, instead the competition is looking for young composers with “something to say” in a fanfare, which needs to draw audience’s attention to the call to take their seats. Selected participants will be given the opportunity to work with mentor composers Nicholas Vines and Lyle Chan to develop their ideas.

Eight...