Credit: Pixabay

On Friday 16 January 2026, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture announced its decision to award twelve musical commissions to various Luxembourgish and resident composers.

The ministry awarded ten commissions through the public call for musical works for orchestras or musical ensembles for the 2025/2026 season and awarded two additional commissions on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Grand Duke Guillaume.

According to the ministry, this initiative generated considerable interest within the musical community, with 25 applications submitted for ten available commissions. The ministry has now announced that the total budget allocated to these commissions was €56,500.

The compositions have been awarded to the following orchestras and ensembles:

  • Raoul Christophe for the Luxembourg Jazz Orchestra;

  • Olivier Dartevelle for theLuxembourg Military Band;

  • Dylan Fixmer for the Luxembourg Philharmonic Academy;

  • Gilles Heinisch for United Instruments of Lucilin;

  • Christophe Mirkes for Kammerata Luxembourg;

  • Jeannot Sanavia for the Ensemble Vocal du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Vocal Ensemble);

  • Max Serra for the Estro Armonico Orchestra;

  • Kerry Turner for the Solistes Européens Luxembourg;

  • Roland Wiltgen for the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra (OPL);

  • Tatsiana Zelianko for the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg (OCL - Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra).

In addition to its public call, the ministry reported that it financed two additional commissions through two composition competitions organised by external structures on the occasion of the accession to the throne of Grand Duke Guillaume.

The association Les Amis de la Musique Militaire awarded the commission to compose the Grand Duke Guillaume March to Georges Sadeler as part of its composition competition.

The competition organised by the Maîtrise Sainte-Cécile of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg awarded the other commission to Roland Wiltgen to compose the new Domine salvum fac, which will now be performed annually at the solemn Te Deum mass.

The support scheme for the writing of original and unpublished musical works represents one of the main pillars of public policy in support of contemporary creation and pursues three objectives:

  • to stimulate the creation of a large number of musical projects and thus contribute to the renewal of repertoires;

  • to support the work of composers;

  • to ensure diversity of offerings by encouraging musical structures, including orchestras and musical ensembles to programme works by contemporary Luxembourg composers.