RONDOFEST 2025

3 - 7 June

Penang, Malaysia

8 - 11 June

Bangkok, Thailand *

* Location is subject to change.

RondoFest Music Festival is Southeast Asia's premier hub for cultural exchange and musical collaboration. It's where aspiring young musicians find mentors, hone their craft and connect with their artistic identity, all in the pursuit of excellence in classical music.

Apply now for free

NOT APPLICABLE FOR OBSERVERS

ABRSM’s composer mentoring programme, Writing for Music Education, is a six-month programme for emerging and early career composers looking to explore the world of composing music for educational settings. Having run the programme in the UK since 2021 and following a successful pilot in Southeast Asia during 2024, we are delighted to be running the programme again in 2025 for emerging and early career composers based across the region. The programme provides composers with opportunities to get to know ABRSM up close and to develop skills in writing to a brief in educational settings.

Recruitment for the programme is supported through our partnership with Rondo Production. While the majority of the six month programme will be online, there will be a two-day in-person workshop series on Wednesday 4 & Thursday 5 June 2025 as part of RondoFest, which takes place in Penang, Malaysia.

The six-month programme will run from May to October 2025, as follows (all times in Malaysia time):

Wed 7 May, 8pm – 9:30pm: Online Welcome Session
Wed 4 June & Thu 5 June: In-Person Workshops (RondoFest, Penang)
July – October, (variety of dates as per the Programme Schedule & Terms): Online sessions and 1:1 mentoring

Please read the full terms of participation here before applying to the programme: Programme Schedule & Terms

Apply before 10 Mar

Mentors

Programme Lead

Lead mentor

Piano mentor

Ensemble mentor

Target Participants

are interested in writing music for educational settings
are in the early stages of their careers as composers*
are not tied into an exclusive publishing contract
have a working knowledge of traditional notation and western classical music
are based in Southeast Asia and can attend RondoFest the programme’s various in-person activities, including the two-day workshop in Penang, Malaysia on 4 & 5 June (in association with RondoFest 2025)
can commit to the full range of in-person and online sessions as outlined in the Programme Schedule
have good understanding of English
are happy to take part in ABRSM’s comms campaigns relating to the programme and other activities as relevant

Benefits

opportunities to explore the world of writing for music education, including ABRSM’s commissioning, editing and publishing processes
bespoke mentoring from leading educational composers
a deep-dive into ABRSM’s exam marking criteria and how knowledge of assessment can support effective educational composition
opportunities to connect with ABRSM’s network of partner organisations
opportunities to write to a brief, including for ABRSM exam syllabuses, with the possibility of inclusion in future syllabuses and publications
becoming part of a community of emerging composers who can share their musical ideas and experiences together in an inclusive and creative environment

Costs

No fees required. In order to make music education more accessible, ABRSM may be able to provide financial support to help with travel costs for the in-person workshops as part of RondoFest. Further information will be shared upon acceptance.

Commitments

Participants must be able to attend the online welcome session (7 May) and the in-person workshops at RondoFest in Malaysia (4 & 5 June).

Participants are encouraged to join as many of the subsequent online sessions live as possible.

The 1:1 online mentoring calls will take place within set windows during the programme.

Composers will need to set aside time to work on the compositional tasks that will be set during the programme.

Programme Schedule & Terms

Apply now to unleash your composing talent!

Unlock your composing potential with ABRSM's Writing for Music Education programme - for hands-on experience in educational settings!