Major Project

The Major Project is the culminating submission of the MFA programme and the point where your work moves from assignment-based learning into professional artistic identity. It asks you to look back at everything you have created, refine your strongest material, and present yourself as a composer ready to enter the industry with clarity, confidence, and a distinctive voice.

The project has three major components: a professional portfolio, an original contribution, and a written reflection. You will curate 5–7 of your strongest pieces, prepare them to an industry-ready standard, and present them through your personal composer website with a prominently displayed showreel. This is not simply a student archive. It is your public-facing identity as a composer.

The original contribution is the creative center of the project. You will develop a substantial, independently defined artistic idea that reflects your voice and advances your practice. This may involve a new approach to orchestration, hybrid writing, choir or voice, emotional storytelling, systems thinking, or a longer-form musical world. The final project results in at least 15 minutes of original music, incorporating voice and/or choir, with access to major recording resources including a 20-piece choir session and a 52-piece symphony orchestra session.

In this module, you will:

• Curate and present a professional portfolio of your strongest MFA work
• Build a personal composer website with a clear, accessible showreel
• Develop an original artistic contribution that reflects your creative identity
• Create a minimum of 15 minutes of original music using major live recording resources
• Reflect on your growth, process, workflow, and professional development across the programme