Other composers include Anselm McDonnel, a Northern Ireland-based Protestant composer, whose work Eloheinu will feature alongside Eitz Chayim by Eamonn O’Dwyer, a London-based musical theatre composer from a Catholic background.
Ms Cohen, whose father is Jewish, said she was “unaware” that her work could be the first piece of music composed by a woman to be performed in a UK shul when she entered the competition.
It was only in conversation with Michael Etherton, founder and musical director of Mosaic Voices that she learnt of it.
“I hope I do the honour justice,” she said.
Speaking about her work Sim Shalom, which will be performed on February 16, the Sydney-based composer said she “feels incredibly honoured, and a tiny bit terrified,” about the prospect.
The call-out invited applications from composers of different faiths and backgrounds and the submissions were judged blind.
The Finchley Kedusha has been written by Benjamin Till, a Midlands-born composed of Jewish and Welsh heritage.
Ms Cohen, who said choral music is her favourite to write, entered the competition after seeing a listing on a site of composer opportunities.
“I was drawn to Mosaic’s openness to considering non-Jewish composers, and listening to recordings of the choir, I was blown away by the richness of the tone and the thoughtful and nuanced treatment of the musical material,” she said.
She said she was asked to write music to the Sim Shalom text - the peace prayer.
“I was encouraged to genuinely and honestly respond to the text, and I was given a lot of freedom to do this in my own way.”
