Picture: Courtesy of H Sdraulig
Charlie Sdraulig awarded the
2026 Continuo Commission
“Thank you for awarding me this commission – I am truly, utterly delighted! I and Moirai cannot wait to get started!”
from Charlie Sdraulig, 2026 Continuo Composer on 27 April, 2024
In his application, Charlie wrote:
“For Moirai, this opportunity will create a new calling card commission—an important contribution to the growing repertory written especially for their fascinating, idiosyncratic lineup.
They will also gain significant experience working with music technology. Finally, this collaboration will not only forge new creative relationships but will also deepen pre-existing ones as well—cellist David Moran and I have successfully collaborated previously.”
Please join us in congratulating Charlie Sdraulig and MOIRAI Ensemble on being awarded the Continuo Commissioning Prize.
Charlie Sdraulig composes music characterised by quietude, intimacy and nuance. His work often explores sounds at (or beyond) the limits of traditional technique. Charlie has an ongoing interest in innovative presentation formats, spanning immersive spatial audio and live interactions with audiences.
His compositions have featured at prominent international contemporary music festivals, including Lucerne (Switzerland), MATA (USA), Rainy Days (Luxembourg) and SPOR (Denmark).Recent highlights comprise two large ensemble pieces commissioned by the ELISION Ensemble, an extended saxophone and feedback piece commissioned by Joshua Hyde, as well as an immersive cello and electronics work for David Moran, which is simultaneously diffused over headphones and loudspeakers.
Charlie writes:
“I have long been fascinated by chamber music’s power to intimately connect composers, performers and audiences across centuries.
This collaboration will further all our creative practices by exploring how historical
instruments and performance techniques can be adapted to create cutting-edge soundworlds.
Despite an ongoing love for period-instrument music making, I have not had the opportunity to investigate this field creatively—more widely, this is an underexplored area in contemporary music.”
The Continuo Directors would like to thank all the other applicants for your outstanding submissions. We recognise the passion and creativity that went into your submissions and encourage you to reapply for future rounds.
Finally, we extend our gratitude to this year’s Selection Panel for their kind and thoughtful consideration of each candidate. Thank you to Anne Cawrse, Kaylie Melville and Lachlan Skipworth for their time and expertise in making this difficult decision.