Guide for First-Time Commissioners
How does this process work?
While every composer is different, in general there are five steps you should know about when commissioning a work.
Step One: RESEARCH Your Composer
Whether you discover them online, via radio, through a database, or from a colleague, the next step should always be to try and find your composer’s website.
Listen to a few of their other pieces—while they might have a piece you love already, it’s important to get a sense of the composer’s work as a whole. Was the piece you fell in love with how they normally write, or was it an anomaly in their catalogue? Was it something they did recently, or was it something that they did a long time ago?
Check out some of their recent collaborators—are they working with ensembles/musicians similar to the project you’d like to work with them on, or would this be something new to them? Neither is an indication not to reach out, but it’s important to know if they’ve worked with musicians at the ability level or instrumentation before.
Read their bio or listen to interviews they might have done—get a sense for what is important to them as an artist! Sometimes you can love a person’s music but realize they are not quite the right fit as a collaborator; if your ensemble is passionate about programming work about social justice topics and this artist doesn’t seem invested in writing about those topics, it’s important to find out from them if it’s because they don’t share that value with you or if they just haven’t had the chance yet!
If you remain excited and invested about working with this composer, you’re ready to move on to the next step!
Step Two: Reach Out!
Send a message (usually through their website) to let them know you want to work together! It’s usually helpful to know upfront your instrumentation, a general duration and/or budget you’ve got to work with, what type of event/concerts you’d like the piece for, and any other specifics on what you’d like the piece to include (text, electronics, instrument doublings, etc.). If you know your budget, it’s a good time to get that information to them as well.
Step Three: Chat
Set a time to talk with them—either via phone or video—about the project in more detail. Get details solidified about when you need the work by, any special considerations you need (such as featuring a soloist, or avoiding a particular technique), and how they expect payments to be made. A few questions you might want to ask:
Are they going to send you drafts as they go?
When are payments expected throughout the process?
Will they be doing a clinic with your ensemble or musicians?
Do you need any alternate versions of parts (such as Bb and C trumpet), or parts that can be optional (such as optional bass clarinet for wind ensemble pieces)?
Are they willing to make reasonable changes to the work once you start rehearsing it for the premiere?
Will all the feedback from the musicians come from you, or do you want them to communicate with other players directly?
Are you going to record the performance? Who gets to host that recording (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.)?
How should they credit you as a commissioner on the score and on their website?
Does the commission come with a perpetual licence, or do you need to pay them for subsequent performances of the work?
If you’re part of a chamber group, it might be a good idea to have as many members of that ensemble there as possible—the composer can ask you questions about what’s comfortable and fun to play, things you’d like to showcase, and get a sense of what needs and desires you each have.
Step Four: Writing and Feedback
Depending on what you discussed, the composer will start writing the piece—sending drafts as agreed. If they are sending you drafts, it’s helpful for composers to get feedback (even if it’s just “this looks good, keep going!”). Drafts are a great way to keep everyone on track and protect one another’s time—if the first draft they send you has some pretty wonky/unplayable stuff, getting that feedback to them sooner will save you both a lot of heartache down the line!
Step Five: Premiering (and Documenting!) the Piece
After the final delivery of the score, you’ll start rehearsing the piece! It may take some tweaks to get the final, performance-ready version as you go (or even some adjustments after the premiere!), but this stage is when you really get to make the piece your own and ask questions. A few notes on documenting this new work:
Give your composer the date and location of the performance in advance. Even if they can’t be there in-person, they can share with their network about the upcoming premiere and make sure to get the performance in their records.
Record something! It is so, so important for composers to get recordings of their work—even if the performance will not be professionally recorded, a rough phone recording of a read-through is much better than nothing! Try to get a recording of the dress rehearsal and performance, just in case.
Send your composer a copy of the program (usually as a PDF). Most composers are able to submit these programs to their royalties company—so while you don’t have to pay anything extra, the composer can often get some money for the performance from ASCAP or BMI.
Share nice comments about the piece with your composer. If you get positive audience or musician feedback about the piece, it is such a kind gesture to share those with the composer. People think we must hear these things all the time, but most of our work is done in isolation; if you hear something nice about the piece, pass it on!
Let’s Talk About the Money
Everyone is scared to talk about the money, but it’s so important and doesn’t need to be scary. If the only thing keeping you from creating something new is money, let’s remove that barrier!
How much do commissions normally cost?
Every composer is different, so it’s always best to check the website of the person you want to commission. My pricing is clearly laid out in the pages below:
Chamber Music Pricing | Large Ensemble Pricing | Pre-College Pricing
What if they don’t have the information on their website?
If they don’t have the information available, just reach out and ask! In your ask, be sure to include the ensemble size/instrumentation, about how long you’d like the piece to be, when you’re hoping to have the music by, and any other special considerations (based on a particular text or theme, wanting to highlight a particular instrument, etc.). If you don’t have the full information, let them know and give your best guess! If you have a budget in mind, you can also say what you’re able to spend and see what they can do for you at that price. Here’s a template below to get you started!
Dear (name of composer),
My name is _____. I came across your work and absolutely love your music! I would love to commission something from you.
I play in a wind quintet, and we have a concert coming up next fall. We would love to talk about commissioning a 5-6 minute work from you, with the music hopefully arriving in the early summer for us to have time to prepare it. We are self-funded, and could pay up to $600 for a new work. We would love to chat with you further about this if you have time in your schedule for this project!
Looking forward to hearing from you!
What if their prices are too expensive?
There are a lot of ways to work with composers on price—but it does depend on the composer you’re talking to! While some composers just don’t have the wiggle room to offer discounts, a lot of composers are willing to come down in price for things like repeat performances or a good recording of their work. An example of how to adjust the above template follows below:
I play in a wind quintet, and we have a concert coming up next fall. We would love to talk about commissioning a 5-6 minute work from you, with the music hopefully arriving in the early summer for us to have time to prepare it. We are self-funded, and could pay up to $600 for a new work. In addition to the funds we can currently offer, we also plan to record the concert, and can send you both an audio recording and video from the performance. We do performances several times a year, and would be happy to play the piece throughout the season—we would love to find a way to make this work on our budget!
It’s also important to note that, while a down-payment is customary, it would be unusual for someone to have you pay the full price of the commission upfront! You can always ask if they provide any options where you pay over time as work is delivered, or if they could even offer a monthly plan for you to spread out payments.
What are some other options to commission a work if I can’t afford to pay?
Talk with your composer about your situation, but know that the following are all tried-and-true options that have worked for collaborations in the past:
Consortium | This can look a little different from project to project, but the general idea is that you get other musicians/groups to co-fund the commission with you! If you’re a wind ensemble for example, you could reach out to other director friends and see if they would be willing to split the cost of the commission; all of you would get exclusive rights to perform the work for a period of time (usually a year) before it’s released to the general public for sale. Some groups work out a system where there is a lead commissioner, who pays a little more but gets more direct say in how the piece turns out. It’s really up to you, your composer, and the people you’re collaborating with!
Grants | There are a number of grants that can help fund the creation of new work—while some arts groups provide highly-sought-after opportunities that can be difficult to win (such as the New Music USA or American Composers Forum grants), some groups have gotten creative with their applications! Outside of normal commission grant opportunities, you can look into grants for funding projects that showcase historical or scientific principals—and see if your composer can write a piece that would fit their topic! While not every composer will have the time to help out in-depth with grant applications, your collaborator should at least be willing to provide a bio and a short description of the work they’re planning to write for you.
Crowdfunding | Many independent musicians and ensembles have found a variety of ways to ask their audiences for support in raising funds for a commission. The success of these types of fundraising often depends on having a really clear idea of what the piece will be, and trying to tie the project to the community you’re asking funds from. If you’re a quartet hoping to get support from people in your city, see if your composer is willing to write a work about something in your community—a special place or event, or a cultural icon. If you’re crowdfunding through more general channels like fundraising websites or social media, try to provide examples of past work for both you and your composer; these examples combined with a clear vision of what you’re hoping to create together can be an enticing pitch to someone who wants to support the creation of new work. For pre-college teachers and coaches in particular, if you are trying to appeal to a specific group such as a PTA or schoolboard, define how this commission will directly benefit your students—is the composer going to do a clinic with them? Will they get to provide some thoughts on what should be in the piece? These details can really help non-musical people in your community understand why a project like this deserves funding.