Future skills, sustainability and artistic citizenship are highly discussed concepts in relation to social changes and developments. UNESCO emphasises the role of education in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the potential of culture and cultural education (German Commission for UNESCO, 2025). How do Higher Music Education Institutions (HMEIs) act regarding these concepts and how can HMEIs draw inspiration from these concepts for the design of study programs for artists in future societies?Facing the complex challenges that HMEIs encounter internationally, this article focuses on how sustainability is addressed and reflected in practices as a central social dimension in higher music education. The research is based on the UNESCO concept of ‘Futures Literacy’ (Miller, 2018) as a skills profile for this purpose and the concept of ‘artistic citizenship’ (Elliot et al., 2016, p. 7) as a normative analytical framework. Using a mixed methods approach in qualitative research, we focus on international projects funded by the European Union (EU) (e.g., ‘Artists as Makers in Society’ (ARTEMIS) and ‘FAST45’ of the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC) (AEC, 2025)), regarding competencies in HMEIs promoting sustainable practices in line with the SDGs, especially socio-emotional skills. The results of this study indicate a spectrum of relevant competencies, which are brought together in categories-based clusters.How can HMEIs tackle these challenges while designing curricula to promote sustainable careers as professional musicians? Based on findings, the article points to the potential of the concept of a “portfolio” as a suitable tool at universities, focusing on two questions: 1. How can future competencies - particularly emotional and social competencies and the need to encourage and empower music students to become resilient, imaginative and responsible professional artists and educators - be addressed in teaching and learning settings and in curriculum design? 2. How can HMEIs strengthen a sustainable future for the arts and in society (including industry readiness)?