Emerging Voices 2026: Meet this year’s composers
From left to right: Gloria Xia, Rowan McIlvride, Michael Hughes.
We’re delighted to announce the three composers selected for the second edition of Emerging Voices, our talent development programme supporting new voices in writing for vocal ensemble.
Following the success of the inaugural programme in 2025, this year’s open call received over seventy applications from composers working across a wide range of styles and practices. From this strong and diverse field, three composers were selected to take part in the programme this season: Rowan McIlvride, Gloria (Xinyue) Xia, and Michael Hughes.
Emerging Voices offers composers time, space and support to explore writing for vocal ensemble, through workshops, mentoring and close collaboration with The Marian Consort and award-winning composer Laurence Osborn, among others.
“Following the success of our inaugural Emerging Voices in 2025, I’m thrilled that there’s been such an enthusiastic response to our open call for applications in the programme’s second year. This year’s Emerging Voices participants were selected from this very strong field of applicants, and I’m greatly looking forward to working closely with Gloria, Michael and Rowan alongside Laurence Osborn, getting to know more about their distinctive compositional voices, and, with the help of our wonderful singers, developing some really interesting and innovative new approaches to music for vocal ensemble.”
Meet the composers
Rowan McIlvride
Rowan is a composer, vocalist and musician from the west coast of Scotland, now based in London. Her work focuses on experimental process and collaboration, weaving together traditional andcontemporary elements to craft immersive sonic landscapes andstructures. Much of her recentwork has explored voice as material through recording and processing, often in cross-disciplinarycontexts and involving live electronics. She is currently studying an MMus in Composition at TrinityLaban thanks to the financial support of the Richard Arnell Scholarship, funded by John Powell. Herpast work includes scoring for screen and dance; she was commissioned for two site-specific dancecollaborations for Hidden Door festival and has scored various short films.
“I’m really looking forward to working with such a uniquely skilled and experienced vocal ensemble, and having the freedom and space to experiment and develop ideas.”
Gloria (Xinyue) Xia
Gloria is a Manchester-based composer, originally from Suzhou, China. Her creative practice is rooted in humanity, relationships, and feminism. She creates music that embraces vulnerability and honesty, allowing space for discomfort and bizarreness. Influenced by the New Discipline and cross-disciplinary, intercultural installations, her work merges music with text, movement, and visuals, often through embodied, performative gestures and language. Her compositions have been showcased internationally, with performances in the US, the UK, Europe, and China. She has collaborated with ensembles including Ensemble Modern, United Instruments of Lucilin, EDME, Hypercube, London Contemporary Soloists, and Trio Immersio. Her work has been featured in festivals such as Rainy Day Festival 2025 and Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble’s 4th Annual New Music Festival in October 2025. Xia is also passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration. She has worked with choreographers from the Northern Ballet School and animation artists from Manchester Metropolitan University. Currently, she is pursuing a composition degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, studying under Larry Goves and Steven Daverson.
“I’m so excited to be selected for Emerging Voices this year and am greatly looking forward to collaborating with such an inspiring group of musicians.”
Michael Hughes
Michael is a composer and guitarist from Birmingham; his work explores ingrained musical languages presented with a broken syntax. Michael is currently studying for his Doctorate in composition at the Royal College of Music with William Mival and Andrew Hamilton, where he was awarded the Frank Bridge Studentship. Michael was the winner of the Irish Heritage Composition Award 2022, selected for the Psappha ensemble's 'composing for' scheme, the Cheltenham Composers Academy, and was highly commended in the BBC Young Composer of the Year. In 2022, his first chamber opera ‘Gilbert Feathers’ was premiered, produced by Tête à Tête opera company.
“It is a delight to be taking part in the emerging voices scheme. The opportunity to dig into the nuances of a vocal ensemble work with this skilled group of singers and mentors is a rare and thrilling prospect.”
We’re excited to begin working with Rowan, Michael and Gloria over the coming months. With such a strong response to this year’s open call, the future of new music for vocal ensemble looks bright.
The Marian Consort is a PRS Foundation Talent Development Network Partner, supported by PPL