classical music jobs & opportunities
composition prizes, music admin jobs, trustee positions & more
A round-up of the arts jobs available in the UK, as well as composing awards, performing call-outs and academic positions. All job opportunities share the salary, and the closing date for each role can be found in brackets.
arts jobs
0-1 days a week, freelance & one-off or casual projects:
Visit our online bookshop to find a novel with a classical music theme. Buying from Bookshop.org supports both Alternative Classical and local, independent bookshops.
Digital communications manager at arts trust (9 September)
Music therapist in London (rolling deadline)
1-2 days a week:
2-3 days a week:
Programme coordinator at new music charity (20 September)
3-4 days a week:
Operations & development director of orchestra (14 September)
Library assistant at music college (14 September)
Full-time:
Education & community project manager at orchestra (11 September)
Publishing manager at music education company (13 September)
London mentoring officer at mentoring programme (18 September)
Development manager at new music charity (20 September)
Music librarian at orchestra (30 September)
General director of choir (9 October)
Head of design at digital design agency (rolling deadline)
Composing opportunities:
All composition prizes and schemes included here are free to enter.
Youth programme in Bristol for 18-25-year-old instrumentalists and composers (13 September)
Advent carol competition (20 September)
Fully funded training scheme for early-career choral composers (21 September)
Emerging composers in London, Manchester and Nottingham (21 September)
Submit a new wedding anthem (26 September)
Composition prize for early-career composer (28 September)
Compositions for saxophone quartet by under 35s (30 September)
University residency in Paris for people working in sound arts/composing/writing (30 September)
Christmas carol competition (5 October)
Carillon composition competition (1 November)
Librettist/composer duos to create a brand-new opera for youth company (1 December)
Original work for brass band, open to current students, recent graduates, and anyone aged 18 to 25 (6 December)
Call for scores of songs composed after 2021 for either soprano or baritone (solo/+pno/elecx) (rolling deadline)
Submit your music to Concert Roulette (rolling deadline)
Submit your music to Opera Roulette (rolling deadline)
Call-out for existing work for 6–25 players (string orchestra+ or mixed instrumentations) (rolling deadline)
performing opportunities:
Sub-Principal No4 First Violin of ballet orchestra (16 September)
Fully funded training scheme for early-career choral conductors (21 September)
Fully-funded opportunity for performers aged 18-28 to take part in a weekend of creative music-making (30 September)
Freelance actor-musician/walk leader (30 September)
Musician for show about motherhood (5 October)
Parish music director at church in Greater Manchester (rolling deadline)
Organist at church in Greater Manchester (rolling deadline)
Submit your performance to Concert Roulette (rolling deadline)
Submit your performance to Opera Roulette (rolling deadline)
teaching opportunities:
Piano teacher in Cambridge (9 September)
Saturday programme coach for violin & piano (21 September)
Saturday programme coach for percussion (21 September)
Violin, cello, piano, recorder and woodwind teachers in Richmond (rolling)
If you find this page useful, please consider supporting the website with a one-off or regular donation towards website costs.
Academic opportunities:
Visiting lecturer at conservatoire (30 September)
Submit paper for the Journal of Live Music Studies (rolling deadline)
Research survey exploring the psychology of musicians across classical, jazz and salsa genres (rolling deadline)
Research survey: experiences of autistic musicians in UK music conservatoires
Parents/carers of musical learners aged 11-18: take part in research
trustee roles:
Trustee at venue in Gateshead (11 September)
Strategic board members at music venue (16 September)
Co-chair of the board for orchestral charity (2 October)
Trustee for community opera company (1 January 2027)
…including pop-up gigs, immersive concerts and peer-to-peer support sessions.
Other opportunities:
Survey for professional choirs (15 September)
A mentored introduction to the opera and heritage sectors for people with lived experience of homelessness (23 September)
Host Classical:NEXT conference in 2028-2030 (30 September)
University residency in Paris for people working in sound arts/composing/writing) (30 September)
Awards for creativity and innovation in Edinburgh (5 October)
Fellowship including spending two months abroad, learning from innovators across different fields (20 October)
Free one‑to‑one micro‑mentoring for artists, producers and creatives working in contemporary performance (rolling deadline)
Free headshots while taking part in a piece of musical art (rolling deadline)
Research survey exploring the psychology of musicians across classical, jazz and salsa genres (rolling deadline)
Research survey: experiences of autistic musicians in UK music conservatoires
Free mentoring for 18-26 year olds for 16 weeks (rolling deadline)
Donate a second-hand musical instrument (rolling deadline)
Free opera tickets for under 21s (rolling deadline)
Funding & bursaries
Visit our funding board to find details of funding pots that are currently open for applications.
Find a list of the funding pots and bursaries that are currently open for applications on our new arts funding hub! Opportunities open at the moment include:
Up to £5,000 for arts, heritage, and related local community projects working primarily in London and Kent
£100,000 in grants for UK-based early music projects for professional ensembles with three or more period instrumentalists
Up to £5,000 for classical music-related educational or outreach projects for non-profit / educational organisations
Tamsin Waley-Cohen discusses the myth of “bouncing back” after having a baby.