The Ivors Classical Awards
The UK's foremost celebration of creative excellence in contemporary classical music and sound art.
Eleven composers have been honoured with Ivor Novello Awards at The Ivors Classical Awards, celebrating the best new classical music and sound art.
The winners were announced during a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 3’s Hannah Peel and Tom Service at the British Film Institute in London.
BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the ceremony on 18 November in a special edition of the New Music Show and the episode will also be available on BBC Sounds.
Three composers were presented with special Gift of the Academy awards, including John Rutter who was honoured with a Fellowship of The Ivors Academy – the highest accolade the Academy bestows – which sees him join a prestigious list of 24 Fellows including John Adams, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Judith Weir CBE and Sting. Tansy Davies was recognised with an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Works Collection, acknowledging her exceptional body of work, and Matthew Herbert received an Ivor Novello Award for Innovation presented in association with the Musicians’ Union.
The Ivors Classical Awards are supported by PRS for Music and BBC Radio 3 are broadcast partners.
See the full list of winners below.
2023 Winners
Recipient
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JOHN RUTTER
The Ivors Academy awarded John Rutter with Academy Fellowship acknowledging him as one of the most influential choral composers of our time. Rutter’s music is performed by professional and amateur choirs around the world and has been used to commemorate some of the most significant landmark occasions in recent history, including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, Prince William and Catherine’s royal wedding, and the coronation of King Charles III.
Listen to John Rutter’s music on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
Nominee
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DISCO! DISCO! GOOD! GOOD?
composed by Jasper Dommett
for chamber ensemble
13mins
listen on SoundCloud
for more information click here
Nominee
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EVEN SWEETNESS CAN SCRATCH THE THROAT
composed by Hannah Kendall
for chamber ensemble
12mins
published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing
Winner
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NÖVÉNYEK
composed by Thomas Adès
for mezzo-soprano and piano sextet
17mins
commissioned by IMS Prussia Cove with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation; with additional support from The Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust and The Fidelio Charitable Trust; The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust, Jonathan Gaisman, Gilbert and Helen McCabe, The Overli Foundation, The Martin Smith Foundation
published in the UK by Faber Music Ltd
for more information and to view the score visit Faber Music’s website
Nominee
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STAGGERED NOCTURNE
composed by Luke Bedford
for 14 players and percussion soloist
20mins
commissioned by Philharmonia Orchestra
published in the UK by Universal Edition
Nominee
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WHY DO YOU GRIEVE
composed by William Marsey
for chamber ensemble
11mins
commissioned by Oliver Zeffman
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music
for more information and to view the score click here
Nominee
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KISHTATOS | קישתתוס
composed by Omri Kochavi
for 18 voices
14mins
commissioned by Britten Pears Arts
watch the BBC Singers perform the work, directed by Owain Park, as part of the 2022 Aldeburgh Festival on YouTube
Nominee
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LANDSCAPE
composed by Naomi Pinnock
for 6 solo voices
9mins
co-commissioned by WDR and hcmf//
listen to a live recording of the UK premiere by EXAUDI, conducted by James Weeks on SoundCloud
Winner
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SOL
composed by Ben Nobuto
for SATB vocal ensemble
6mins
commissioned by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and Youtube
for more information click here
Nominee
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ESTUARY SOUND ARK
composed by Matthew Herbert
community project involving young participants; Amy Rose Bryan, Chelsea Joseph, Emily Brewster, Esther-Olivia Odesanmi, Joe Holland, Naomi Rosser, Oliver Starling and Skye Maskell, and sounds collected by the local community in South Essex and North Kent.
30mins
commissioned by Creative Estuary
published in the UK by Bucks Music Group Ltd
Nominee
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HEROES
composed by Harry Castle
for chamber orchestra, SATB choir and soprano and baritone soloists
13mins
commissioned by Lucy Kitchener & Jack Murphy, Mount St. Mary’s College
watch the debut performance by Mount St Mary’s College Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Lucy Kitchener, on YouTube
Nominee
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IT TAKES A CITY
composed by Toby Young
opera for youth and adult community choirs and professional orchestra, with libretto by Sayan Kent
60mins
commissioned by Armonico Consort
watch a highlights trailer on YouTube
for more information and to purchase a video of the full performance, visit the Armonico Consort on demand website
Winner
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SWARM FANFARES
composed by Dobrinka Tabakova
for youth orchestra
8mins
commissioned by Hallé Concerts Society for The Hallé Youth Orchestra and their Music Director Delyana Lazarova
published in the UK by Valonius Press-Schott Music Limited
Nominee
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TOGETHER AND APART
composed by Ned Bigham
for youth orchestra and choir
10mins
commissioned by West Sussex Music
watch the West Sussex Youth Orchestra & Choir perform the work, conducted by Adam Barker, on YouTube
Nominee
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ANTIGONE: PURE IN HER CRIME
composed by Athanasia Kontou
for chamber orchestra and mezzo-soprano
13mins
commissioned by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Nominee
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ILOLLI-POP
composed by Alex Paxton
for ensemble and improvising soloist
25mins
commissioned by Ensemble Modern
published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music
for more information click here
Nominee
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KA
composed by Bushra El-Turk
for percussion soloist and string orchestra
21mins
commissioned by Wiener Konzerthaus/Wiener KammerOrkest/Britten Pears Arts
for more information and to purchase the score visit the Composers Edition website
Winner
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SHOUTING FOREVER INTO THE RECEIVER
composed by Hannah Kendall
for 17 players
14mins
commissioned by Südwestrundfunk through the Donaueschingen festival
published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing
Nominee
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THROUGH THE FADING HOUR
composed by Angela Elizabeth Slater
for chamber orchestra
10mins
commissioned by London Philharmonic Orchestra
watch a performance of the work by LPO soloists and Richard Waters (viola), conducted by Brett Dean, on YouTube
Nominee
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ARCHORA
composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir
for symphony orchestra
19mins
commissioned by BBC Proms and co-commissioned by the LA Philharmonic, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Klangspuren Schwaz
published in the UK by Chester Music Ltd
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify
for more information and to view the score click here
Winner
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CELLO CONCERTO
composed by Brett Dean
for symphony orchestra and solo cello
25mins
commissioned by Sydney Symphony, Berliner Philharmoniker, Swedish Radio SO, Minnesota Orchestra, Amsterdam Cello Biennale, Muziekgebouw Aan ‘t IJ
published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd
for more information and to rent the score visit the Boosey & Hawkes website
Nominee
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ELLIPTICS
composed by Emily Howard
for orchestra, soprano and countertenor
24mins
commissioned by BBC Philharmonic
published in the UK by Peters Edition Ltd
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify
Nominee
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IN THIS BRIEF MOMENT
composed by Brett Dean
for symphony orchestra and double SATB chorus
49mins
commissioned by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (as one of its CBSO Centenary Commissions), Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd
for more information and to rent the score visit the Boosey & Hawkes website
Nominee
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SOUND SCULPTURE NO. 7
composed by Simon Knighton
for orchestra
13mins
commissioned by Southbank Sinfonia and Nonclassical
Nominee
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ANSWER MACHINE TAPE, 1987
composed by Philip Venables
for solo piano with amplification and KeyScanner device, projection and recorded sound
45mins
commissioned by Zubin Kanga, HCMF, Festival d’Automne à Paris, Time of Music Festival, November Music, Royal Holloway
published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing
watch Zubin Kanga perform the work at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival on YouTube
for more information click here
Winner
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COMME L’ESPOIR/YOU MIGHT ALL DISAPPEAR
composed by Josephine Stephenson
for soprano and guitar
5mins
commissioned by Héloïse Werner with support from the PRS Foundation
published in the UK by Éditions Alphonse Leduc
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify
for more information and to purchase the score visit the Wise Music Classical website
Nominee
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CROW ROTATIONS
composed by Larry Goves
for soprano, flute/alto flute, alto saxophone, cello and electronics
35mins
commissioned by Royal Northern College of Music Centre for Practice Research in Science and Music (PRiSM)
for more information and to purchase the score visit the Composers Edition website
Nominee
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SILBERBLAU
composed by Matthew Grouse
for guitar and electronics
8mins
commissioned by Sasha Savaloni and Current Resonance
listen on SoundCloud
for more information click here
Nominee
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THE BOOK OF THE SEDIMENTS
composed by Newton Armstrong
for soprano and electronic sounds
19mins
commissioned by Juliet Fraser, Arts Council England, PRS Foundation, Vaughan Williams Trust
Winner
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LOL
by Olivia Louvel
a site-specific sonic intervention delivered through the public address system of Middlesbrough’s CCTV surveillance network, reflecting the current state of political affairs in Britain, produced with Sound Art Brighton
7mins
commissioned by The Auxiliary
watch snippets of the work here
Nominee
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MACHAIR
by Duncan MacLeod
acousmatic soundwalk exploring the traditions and ecology of Uist’s machair on the Isle of Benbecula
34mins
commissioned by Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre
listen on SoundCloud
Nominee
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RITES FOR CROSSING WATER
by Hugh Crewdson Jones and Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
outdoor installation, augmented reality book and EP built around instructional texts, imagined as folklore for the future
13mins
commissioned by Ludic Rooms
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube Music
watch the official video on YouTube
Winner
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LEAST LIKE THE OTHER: SEARCHING FOR ROSEMARY KENNEDY
composed by Brian Irvine
opera in one act, for soprano, two actors and two opposing ensembles, co-created by Netia Jones
70mins
commissioned by Irish National Opera
watch the rehearsal trailer on YouTube
Nominee
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LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE
composed by Joby Talbot
ballet in three acts
105mins
commissioned by The Royal Ballet
published in the UK by Chester Music Ltd
for more information and to watch the trailer visit the Royal Opera House website
Nominee
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ORPHEUS
composed by Jasdeep Singh Degun
opera in five acts, for Indian classical continuo and Baroque continuo
150mins
commissioned by Opera North and South Asian Arts-UK
Nominee
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THE SCORCHED EARTH TRILOGY
composed by Brian Irvine
three projected street art operas with libretto by John McIlduff
30mins
commissioned by Dumbworld and Irish National Opera
for more information and watch the official trailer click here
Nominee
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VIOLET
composed by Tom Coult
opera in one act with libretto by Alice Birch
85mins
commissioned by Britten-Pears Arts and Music Theatre Wales
published in the UK by Faber Music Ltd
to watch a Q&A about the work with Tom visit the Britten-Pears Arts YouTube channel
Recipient
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MATTHEW HERBERT
British musician, DJ and producer Matthew Herbert, received the Innovation Award in association with the Musicians’ Union, in recognition of his pioneering work in electronic music and his experimental use of unconventional sounds as instrumentation. He is renowned for mining audio from unique sources, including the environment, the human body, and animals (both dead and alive). His most recent album, The Horse, saw him construct instruments out of a full-sized horse skeleton and was met with critical acclaim. Previously, his work has featured in Eurovision, Yves St Laurent fashion shows, and several films.
Listen to Matthew Herbert’s music on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
Recipient
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TANSY DAVIES
The Outstanding Works Collection Award, honouring British or Irish composers who have written a consistently exceptional body of classical compositions, was awarded to Tansy Davies, whose works embody elements of rock, funk, disco, bebop, alt-pop and modernism.
Named one of the UK’s most influential people by the Evening Standard’s Progress 1000 in 2015, she has worked with renowned performers and concert houses all over the world, including the BBC Proms, the Royal Opera House, and King’s College Cambridge’s famous Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, broadcast to millions of viewers each year.
Listen to Tansy Davies’ music on Amazon Music, Apple Music and Spotify.
Latest Awards news
Latest Awards Snaps
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Entries for the Rising Star Award with @amazonmusic are now open!
We’re so proud of our 2020 winner @mmmmysie 🌟
If you’re aged 18-24 and British, Irish or ordinarily resident in the UK enter now via the link in our bio!
There’s no fee to enter, you just need to be an Ivors Academy member. It’s discounted for under-25s and we have bursaries
#ivornovelloaward #amazonmusic #theivors
The Ivors with @amazonmusic entries have officially opened 🥳
Anyone can enter, including the songwriter or composer – enter by 5pm Friday 19 January.
To read the rules and guidelines or to find out more visit the link in our bio ☝️
#ivornovelloaward #amazonmusic #theivors
The Ivors Awards with @amazonmusic are one of the most prestigious music award ceremonies in the world, celebrating excellence in the art and craft of songwriting.
This year`s winners included @theofficialsting @raye and @charli_xcx
Entries for the 2024 awards open on Monday 4th December and the winners are announced on 23rd May, so head to the link in our bio to find out more.
#TheIvors
#TheIvors is one of the most loved and respected music awards and tickets are some of the most exclusive in the music industry.
Want to make sure you`re in the room next year? Become a Corporate Partner via the link in our bio ✨
That’s a wrap on #TheIvors with Amazon Music 2023!
The Ivor Novello awards are so special because they are judged and presented by songwriters and composers from The Ivors Academy.
To get involved and be part of this talented community visit the link in our bio!
We want to thank everyone who helped make such a special day happen - our winners and nominees, judges, Board, title sponsor @AmazonMusic, category sponsor @PRSforMusic and our staff. ❤️
We spoke to @charli_xcx, who won the Visionary Award with @AmazonMusicUK at #TheIvors, on her lessons learnt during her songwriting journey so far...
A huge thank you to everyone involved in last night`s ceremony, particularly our title sponsor @amazonmusic, who took #TheIvors to new heights with their global live stream.
We are so proud to champion such talented songwriters and music creators. ❤️
A Fellowship is the highest honour that the Academy bestows, recognising excellence in the art and craft of music creation.
Joining a roster of songwriting greats, we are delighted to present the Academy Fellowship to @theofficialsting
#TheIvors 🌟
The @PRSforMusic Icon Award goes to Tim Booth, Saul Davies, Jim Glennie, Larry Gott and Mark Hunter @wearejames 💎
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The award for Outstanding Song Collection goes to @Kamille 📚 #TheIvors
The Ivor for Songwriter of The Year with @amazonmusicuk goes to... Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers @wetlegband 📝✨
#TheIvors
The Special International Award goes to... Debbie Harry and Chris Stein @blondieofficial 🌎💫
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@yardmanflo, @chronixxmusic, @gyallikeclee and @jackpenate take home the Ivor for Best Album with 11 @saultglobal 🎶💿
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The Ivor for Best Television Soundtrack goes to... The Midwich Cuckoos composed by @hannahpeelmusic 📺🎵
#TheIvors
The Ivor for Most Performed Work with @PRSforMusic goes to... As It Was written by @kidharpoon, Tyler Johnson and @harrystyles 🎤
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The Visionary Award with @amazonmusicuk goes to... @charli_xcx 🔥
#TheIvors
Best Original Video Game Score goes to @garethcoker, @grantkirkhopecomposer and Yoko Shimomura for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope 👾🕹️
#TheIvors
The Ivor for Best Song Musically and Lyrically goes to… King written by @jackantonoff and @florence 🎹✨
#TheIvors
The Ivors Rising Star Award with @amazonmusicuk goes to… @victoriacanal ⭐️
#TheIvors
The Ivor for Best Original Film Score goes to... ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ composed by @johnj_powell 📽️
#TheIvors
Latest Tweets
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Judith Weir was honoured with Fellowship of The Ivors Academy at #TheIvorsComposerAwards to recognise her excellence and impact in the art and craft of music creation.
She shares what it means for her to receive this prestigious award 👏
Composer @Crane1L explains the inspiration behind Natural World, winner of #TheIvorsComposerAwards for Small Chamber.
#TheIvorsComposerAwards are sponsored by @PRSforMusic and in association with @BBCRadio3
Hannah Conway's 'The Sound Voice Project: Paul, I Left My Voice Behind and Tanja', winner of #TheIvorsComposerAwards for Sound Art, is an immersive experience made to explore the stories of people who have experienced significant voice change or loss.
This time last week at #TheIvorsComposerAwards 🤩
It was wonderful to celebrate and support so many brilliant composers! Huge well done to all of the winners and nominees including @derri_lewis & @JoMarshComposer who were nominated for pieces written for NYCGB! 🎵 @IvorsAcademy
Extremely wise words here from @JoMarshComposer following her #TheIvorsComposerAwards win 👏
'I want to see music education happening in a much bigger way because that's our future...' 👏
@JoMarshComposer, Winner of #TheIvorsComposerAwards for Choral
