Laila Arafah / Ink Still Wet 2026
«May we introduce you …?»Published: 20 August 2026
Get to know Laila Arafah one of the five participants from this year's Ink Still Wet workshop, which Composer in Residence Olga Neuwirth will lead.
«For me, Ink Still Wet represents a bridge between imagination, creation collective realization, and performance. As an early-career composer, I believe that this workshop provides both the critical distance and the immersive environment necessary for my artistic growth. To work with the Tonkünstler Orchestra, to conduct my own composition under the guidance of such experienced mentors as Olga Neuwirth and Brad Lubman will be a transformative experience; one that will continue to shape my Approach to sound, collaboration, and composition long beyond the workshop itself.»
Biography
Laila Arafah is a London-based composer whose work explores fragile systems, collaborative modes, and forms emerging from interruption and temporal instability. At nineteen, she received a commission from the London Symphony Orchestra through the Panufnik Composers Scheme, and has since been commissioned by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, London Contemporary Music Festival, Explore Ensemble, Carducci Quartet, London Mozart Players, Roadrunner Trio (Amsterdam), and Quatuor Bozzini (Canada).
Her music has been performed internationally by Talea Ensemble, Ensemble MusikFabrik (Cologne), London Sinfonietta, Zone Expérimentale Basel (Austria), Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Boston New Music Initiative, and Standard Issue. She has held fellowships at Aspen Music Festival (2024, 2025), Dartington Music Festival, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, and IMPULS Festival. Her work has appeared at venues including King’s Place, Bold Tendencies, St John’s Smith Square, Bowdoin Music Festival, Westminster Abbey, Britten Studio, KM28 Berlin, Aldeburgh Festival, AżTak Festival (Poland), La Sorbonne University, and Soundways Festival (Russia). Her work has also been recognised by the Frank Abell Composer's Award, Leverhulme Bursary Award, Faber Music Bursary, International Guitar Foundation, the Centre for Deep Listening, MCME Academy, and she served as CoMA’s 2024 Composer-in-Residence.
Laila is pursuing a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, studying with Rubens Askenar and Gareth Moorcraft. Through various courses and festivals, she has also studied with George Lewis, Judith Weir, Chaya Czernowin, Hans Abrahamsen, Brett Dean, Clara Iannotta, Nico Muhly, Christopher Theofanidis, Missy Mazzoli, Anders Hillborg, Pierre Jodlowski, Olga Neuwirth, and Augusta Read Thomas.
Upcoming projects include a new chamber work for Trio Diorama at the RED NOTE Festival, a solo piano premiere for Bridget Yee at the Lucerne Festival, and a London Symphony Orchestra premiere at Barbican Centre.
«Zones of Blue»
Neuwirth in GrafeneggTonkunstler Orchestra · Brad Lubman · Participants of the composer conductor workshop «Ink Still Wet» · Jörg Widmann
ARAFAH / CHOI / GILLEROT / GODARD / KIM / PENDERECKI / NEUWIRTH