Meta Cohen : Associate Artist
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Random Audio Sample: Sim Shalom : for TTBarB vocal ensemble by Meta Cohen, from the CD Letter to Kamilla |
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Photo: James Reiser
Artist website: https://metacohen.com/
Meta Cohen is a composer, sound designer and dramaturg with work spanning music, theatre and interdisciplinary art. Their work has been commissioned and performed in diverse venues across Australia, the UK and the US, and has been described as 'meteoric' (ClassikON); 'fiendishly virtuosic' (Classic Melbourne); 'a captivating odyssey beyond the ordinary' (What's On Sydney) and 'bristling with a rich tapestry of evocative music-making' (Australian Arts Review). Meta's music has been included in album releases from the ABC, Chandos (UK) and independent releases.
In their composition work, Meta often prioritises LGBTQIA+ work where possible. In 2022, Meta was a commissioned composer on the first queer classical album in Australia's history (Spectrum: Divisi Chamber Singers) and composed a new work in partnership with Homophonic, documenting Australia's LGBTQIA+ histories in music. Meta's queer song cycle a love is a love is a love, commissioned by ABC Classic, was released in June 2023 and features on the ABC's Women of Note, Volume 6 album. Their Delphi Songs were recently featured as part of the 2024 ChamberQUEER Festival in New York.
Other notable works include Caedo, which was awarded in the Leonardo Da Vinci International Composition Competition in Florence; Sim Shalom, which features on an album released by Chandos; and Swerve, which was a finalist in the 2023 APRA AMCOS/Australian Music Centre Art Music Awards for Work of the Year (Choral). Their Meteora was recently premiered as part of the Sydney Chamber Choir's 50th Anniversary program.
Meta has applied their compositional training to their work as a theatre maker, sound designer and dramaturg. Recent credits include the UK/European premiere of promiscuous/cities (dir. Alyson Campbell) as part of the British Council's UK/Australia Season in London. Meta holds a Master of Dramaturgy from the Victorian College of the Arts (Naarm) and a Bachelor of Music Studies from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. They are especially passionate about bringing queer, interdisciplinary and sound-driven work to the stage, and welcome collaborations in these areas.
Meta is currently based in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia, on unceded Yaluk-ut Weelam land. Their current creative focus is the creation of Kiss My Sword, a new queer opera about 17th Century bisexual sword-fighting opera singer Julie d'Aubigny.
Meta Cohen — current to July 2025
Awards & Prizes
| Year | Award | Placing | Awarded for |
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| 2023 | Art Music Awards: Work of the Year: Choral | Finalist | Swerve |
Selected Commissions
| Work | Commission Details | |
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| Meteora : for vocal ensemble (2025) | 'Meteora' was commissioned by the Sydney Chamber Choir for their 50th Anniversary. | |
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Of Motion : for children's choir (2023) | Commissioned by Sydney Children's Choir. |
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A Love Is A Love Is A Love : a queer song cycle (2022) | Commissioned as part of the ABC Classic Composer Commissioning Initiative. The cycle was recorded at the ABC in May 2022. |
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you : for vocal ensemble and piano (2022) | Commissioned by ABC Classic. |
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they : for vocal ensemble and piano (2022) | Commissioned by ABC Classic. |
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she : for vocal ensemble and piano (2022) | Commissioned by ABC Classic. |