How to write a compelling application for the Art Music Fund

BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE

Each year, the APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund supports the creation of several new pieces of Australian and New Zealand music. With a pool of $82,500 to be shared among 11 composers throughout 2025, it’s a generous round of funding — but it’s also highly competitive.

If you’re awarded your share of AU$7,500, you’ll craft a new commission to be performed or recorded with your collaboration partners. However, you’ll need to know how to identify these presentation opportunities for yourself — and write a compelling application that explains why your work should be chosen, and how audiences are guaranteed to experience it.

Christine Pan is a former Art Music Fund recipient. The Sydney composer knew the process would bring some challenges, so she went in with a clear vision, valuable industry connections, and a goal to communicate her musical ideas in a concise and accessible way.

Before you consider applying for the current funding round closing 16 February, you can read on to learn what it’s like to make it all the way through. Christine shares her biggest pieces of advice, having successfully navigated the application process and received funding to create her song cycle The Parts We Give.

Christine, congratulations on your Art Music Fund success. As every artist knows, applications for funding are not easy. Why did you decide this funding round was going to be worth investing your time into?

Thank you so much, Stephanie. You’re absolutely right — funding applications are no easy feat, and I knew that several elements needed to align before I could confidently put forward a proposal.

The idea for The Parts We Give came to me at the end of 2023, inspired by my family history and my experience navigating intercultural identity as an Australian of Chinese heritage. The core concept of The Parts We Give, which is unpacking the nuances of love within an immigrant family, is something that I’ve been personally unpacking for several years, but the idea of it manifesting as a song cycle struck me in 2023.

By then, I had reached a point where I felt ready to explore these themes in a deeply personal yet creative and safe way.

At the same time, I had been fortunate to develop strong relationships with several arts music organisations, both interstate and internationally. After speaking with my collaborators and hearing their belief in the work, I felt confident that this project was not just meaningful to me but also resonated with others.

Moreover, I’m at an exciting juncture in my career where I’m blending my background in art music composition with my experience as a sound designer in theatre. The timing felt serendipitous, and I knew this was the right moment to pursue support through the Art Music Fund.

How did having such clear ideas help shape your application?

Grant bodies are composed of artists from diverse backgrounds, so I knew it was essential to ensure that anyone reading my application could clearly understand what I was aiming to achieve. Clarity in an application is absolutely crucial, but it’s not something that happens overnight.

One piece of advice I’d offer to applicants is to figure out how you personally achieve clarity. For me, it’s through conversation. I discussed my initial concepts with trusted creative friends, and as we talked, they asked insightful questions that helped me identify gaps or areas needing more precision. By paying attention to the kinds of questions they posed, I was able to refine my ideas and make the vision for my project more succinct and coherent.

By the time I submitted my application, I felt confident that I had addressed potential uncertainties and presented a compelling, well-rounded pitch.

Funding applications can involve an overwhelming amount of information — and the artist often needs to compile these resources to present them in a digestible way. Where did you begin? How did you start collecting your thoughts and information, and designing an application you felt would be competitive?

After discussing the application process with various friends, I approached it by breaking my pitch into distinct categories:

What is conceptually innovative?
What is technically innovative?
How is the process itself innovative?
Does the project have longevity?
Will it live beyond its premiere?
What are its impacts?

By addressing these questions clearly and concisely, I was able to articulate why this project was not only necessary but also timely. It became easier to justify its urgency and demonstrate its potential to grow alongside my artistic practice over several years.

For instance, I highlighted my ongoing relationship with KU Asian Classical Music Initiative where I’ve been a featured composer and panellist for the past three years. This demonstrated the project’s ability to have an international life, particularly in bringing Australian music to overseas audiences.

I also emphasised the unique perspective I bring as the child of Chinese-immigrant parents in Australia, which adds richness to my contributions to the conference.

This structured approach allowed me to craft an application that felt both compelling and reflective of my artistic vision.

How did you manage your time when it came to the funding application, and make sure you had everything in before the deadline?

What I recommend is creating a master document for your project well in advance of starting your Arts Music Fund application. By beginning early, and working on responses in smaller, manageable chunks, you’ll be well prepared when the deadline approaches. This allows you to focus on making minor edits rather than rushing to create everything from scratch.

The part of the process that often takes an unpredictable amount of time is securing collaborators, venues, and presenting partners.

In the past, I would approach completely unfamiliar organisations with an email pitch, but this approach often felt forced and inorganic. With everyone so busy, these cold pitches tended to get lost among the many others they receive. However, by fostering ongoing relationships with organisations, I found that they were ready to support me when I invited them to be part of an application.

When you’ve already built connections within the industry, even a casual mention of an idea during a quick coffee catch-up can evolve naturally into future programming opportunities. It’s about recognising what relationships you’ve already established, continuing to nurture them, and building on that foundation.

This approach has made balancing my usual workload and preparing funding applications much more seamless and sustainable.

The Art Music Fund has an added challenge for artists: it commissions new work, but it also relies upon the composer’s ability to get that work out there and in front of an audience. You mentioned the value in building connections — how did you then secure those partner artists or organisations who committed to presenting your music?

Many of the relationships I’ve relied upon for presenting my work are pre-existing, and I feel incredibly grateful for that. These collaborators are not only talented professionals but also incredible people I’ve known for years — people who share similar values, dreams, and goals.

It’s important to remember that arts organisations also have their own outcomes and objectives they hope to achieve with the works they support. When I approached my collaborators with The Parts We Give, I made sure the partnership would be mutually beneficial. I want to support their work just as much as they’re helping to bring mine to life.

For artists and composers seeking to establish relationships with partner organisations or collaborators, the key is to start by showing up for them. Attend their events, support their work, and actively build those relationships. Offer your skills and resources, and most importantly, be consistent in your engagement.

This approach may mean that this year’s funding cycle might not be the right timing for you — but that’s okay. Setting a goal to apply next year gives you the opportunity to spend time cultivating these connections thoughtfully.

However, if the timing feels right now, seize the moment. Early in the year, before schedules become overwhelming, is the perfect time to reach out. Have conversations with potential collaborators to understand what they hope to achieve and see how your project might align with their goals. Your work might be exactly what they’re looking for!

So tell us about your music! After receiving the funding, how did you go about bringing your song cycle to life?

Conceptually, I spent much of 2024 unpacking the nuances of love within an immigrant family. The Parts We Give is deeply personal, involving both cultural and emotional labour. Reliving memories through raw, transparent conversations with my family — and with friends who’ve had similar experiences — was both challenging and profoundly meaningful.

Writing for voice was entirely new to me, so 2024 became a year of experimentation. We explored different approaches, from written libretto to improvised vocals with electronics, integrating techniques I’ve gathered from my work in devised theatre. These explorations shaped the creative language of The Parts We Give.

The first development of the work took place in October 2024 at Ashfield Town Hall. Now, I’m diving into a second development phase, running from 10-14 March 2025, culminating in an industry work-in-progress presentation and panel discussion on 14 March.

What would be the most important tip you’d like to share with other artists when it comes to the application process?

Always answer the ‘why’.

But don’t stop at explaining why the project matters to you personally. Connect it to the broader outcomes of APRA AMCOS and the collaborators involved. Answer the ‘why’ not just because you’re struck with passion, but why this project needs to happen now and how it contributes to the future of Australian Art Music.