Roche Commissions

Launched in 2003, Roche Commissions regularly awards commissions for new musical works by outstanding contemporary composers. Roche selects the composer on the basis of recommendations made by the artistic directors of Lucerne Festival, Carnegie Hall and The Cleveland Orchestra. The commissioned work is premiered by the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst, at the Lucerne Festival, SOMMER. The following season, the same orchestra performs it for the first time in the United States at Carnegie Hall. Informal contacts and discussions between the composers and Roche scientists form a essential part of the project, highlighting the parallels between innovation in art and in science and the challenges of doing creative work in any area.