The Wigmore Hall’s commissioning programme is gathering pace with a new commitment to present up to 15 original commissions per season from 2013. The London chamber venue will play host to more than 30 world and national premieres during the 2012-13 season, plus wide-ranging surveys of the works of George Benjamin and Huw Watkins. Among the premieres in forthcoming seasons are compositions by Julian Anderson, Peter Eötvös, Jonathan Harvey, Anna Meredith, Nico Muhly, Wolfgang Rihm, Judith Weir and Jörg Widmann.

Wigmore’s new announcement is part of an ongoing agenda to expand the range and amount of new music presented at its concerts. Six years ago the venue launched a policy to programme more contemporary chamber music and song. Since 2008, funding from Fondation Hoffmann has helped to expand this strategy, with the appointment of Luke Bedford as the Hall’s first composer-in-residence (to be followed by Julian Anderson in Autumn 2013), and series dedicated to the work of living composers Elliott Carter, Brett Dean, Kevin Volans, James MacMillan and Jörg Widmann.

‘We are redoubling our efforts to commission new chamber works over the years ahead,’ said Wigmore director John Gilhooly. ‘Our commissioning scheme, thanks to our relationship with Fondation Hoffmann and co-commissions with other partners, is already the most extensive in Europe for chamber music. It will continue to develop and grow as an integral part of Wigmore Hall’s programming.’

Throughout its long history, the Wigmore Hall has presented premieres of works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Harrison Birtwistle, Elliott Carter, James MacMillan, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Mark-Anthony Turnage.