Archive
Explore galleries, winners and nominees of British Composer Awards from 2003 to 2018 and Ivor Novello Awards at The Ivors Composer Awards since 2019.
ERROLLYN WALLEN
Errollyn Wallen‘s music has been central to major national events, including the London 2012 Paralympic Games, BBC Proms, and the Jubilees of Elizabeth II. In 2013, she became the first female composer to receive an Ivor Novello Award for classical music, and this year, she was named Master of the King’s Music. Known for her blend of personal and historical themes, Wallen’s works range from Meet Me at Harold Moores, inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and JS Bach, to Mighty River, marking the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in England, and her reimagined Jerusalem for the 2020 BBC Proms, reframed the hymn through the ears of the Windrush generation to highlight the musical connections between Britain and the Commonwealth.
MITTERNACHTSLIED
composed by Julian Anderson
for soprano and ensemble
5mins
commissioned by Freundeskreis Hauskonzert Musik für Heute
published in the UK by Schott Music
SONGS OF NADIA ANJUMAN
composed by Richard Blackford
for soprano and string orchestra
18mins
commissioned by Britten Sinfonia
published in the UK by Nimbus Music Publishing
THE HEARING TRUMPET
composed by Hilda Paredes
for flute, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion and strings
18mins
commissioned by Wigmore Hall
published in the UK by University of York Music Press
TOMB!
composed by Laurence Osborn
for strings, percussion and piano
20mins
commissioned by Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Cheltenham Festival and Kings Place
UNDONE
composed by Soosan Lolavar
for solo de-tuned violin and string ensemble
10mins
BATTER MY HEART
composed by Joanna Marsh
for SSAATTBB choir
6mins
commissioned by The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn
HALLELUJAH AMEN
composed by Oliver Leith
for mixed voices
10mins
commissioned by Parabola Foundation
published in the UK by Faber Music
MAY SONG
composed by Lawrence Dunn
for 6 voices and fixed media
16mins
commissioned by EXAUDI
THE CITY, FULL OF PEOPLE
composed by Cassandra Miller
for mixed choir of 16 singers
16mins
commissioned by Éamonn Quinn of Louth Contemporary Music Society, jointly funded by Louth Contemporary Music Society and The Robert D. Bielecki Foundation
published in the UK by Faber Music
14 WEEKS
composed by Jane Stanley
for SATB chorus
9mins
commissioned by The Glasgow School of Art Choir
with libretto by Judith Bishop
A CHILDREN’S GUIDE TO ANARCHY (AN EASTERHOUSE CHILDREN’S MANIFESTO)
composed by Brian Irvine
for ensemble and singers
19mins
commissioned by Dumbworld and Red Note Ensemble
with libretto by John McIlduff and children of Oakwood Primary School, Scotland
performed by Red Note Ensemble and children of Oakwood Primary School
FLY/WORK/GROW
composed by Hannah Conway
for amateur child and adult vocal soloists, operatic soprano, pro-vocalist, recorded speech, violin, cello and piano
16mins
commissioned by CHAMPIONS and Sound Voice
with libretto by Hazel Gould
IN YOUR HANDS
composed by Amy Bryce
for youth voices: two SATB choirs with additional upper voices, piano and percussion
12mins
commissioned by London Youth Choirs
TUXEDO: DUST BOWL #3
composed by Hannah Kendall
for Massed Ensemble of Harmonicas and Optional SATB Voices
10mins
published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing
THE HORSE
composed by Matthew Herbert
for orchestra, horse skeleton and electronics
80mins
published in the UK by Bucks Music Group
THE SINGING TREE
composed by Christian Mason
for five solo voices, children’s choir and ensemble
40mins
commissioned by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
published in the UK by Breitkopf & Härtel
THE STONES IN THE RIVER BY OUR CAMP IN THE FOREST / THE SPACE ON THE GROUND WHERE WE LAY
composed by Rufus Isabel Elliot
for string ensemble
18mins
commissioned by BBC Radio 3
VIOLA CONCERTO ‘THREE GODDESSES’
composed by Edward Gregson
for viola and string orchestra
20mins
commissioned by Presteigne Festival with funds from the Colwinston Charitable Trust
published in the UK by Novello and Co
ECHOES
composed by Julian Anderson
for solo baritone, chorus and orchestra
11mins
commissioned by Oliver Zeffman
published in the UK by Schott Music
HORN CONCERTO
composed by Gavin Higgins
for horn and orchestra
30mins
commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and Philharmonie Zuidnederland
published in the UK by Nimbus Music Publishing
I CANNOT LOVE WITHOUT TREMBLING
composed by Cassandra Miller
for viola and orchestra
25mins
Co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3, Brussels Philharmonic, the NAC Orchestra and the SCO, supported by The Viola Commissioning Circle
published in the UK by Faber Music
IN SPE CONTRA SPEM
composed by Brett Dean
for two sopranos and orchestra
30mins
co-commissioned by London Philharmonic Orchestra with the support of the Boltini Trust
published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes
MOSAICS
composed by Colin Matthews
for orchestra
24mins
published in the UK by Faber Music
BYOYOMI
composed by Rūta Vitkauskaitė
for clarinet and string quartet
14mins
commissioned by CRAS
ENGLISH DANCING MASTER
composed by Leo Chadburn
for pre-recorded voices and string quartet
26mins
commissioned by Phaedra Ensemble
LAKES, MISTS, BATS, DAGGERS, AND FOUNTAINS
composed by Laurence Osborn
for string quartet
20mins
commissioned by Wigmore Hall
THE MOUTH
composed by Rebecca Saunders
for soprano and tape
20mins
commissioned by Annie Claire for ManiFeste Festival Paris
published in the UK by Edition Peters
TIDING II (SILENTIUM)
composed by Lisa Illean
for soprano saxophone, percussion, piano and electronics
17mins
commissioned by SWR for Donaueschinger Musiktage
published in the UK by Faber Music
A LADDER IS NOT THE ONLY KIND OF TIME
by Benjamin Tassie
Three water-powered musical instruments installed in the historic Rivelin Valley in Sheffield accompanied by film, field-recording and live performance to explore ideas of heritage, place, and our changing relationship with the landscape
50mins
EACH TINY DROP
by Dan Jones
Sonic accompaniment to Risham Syed’s interactive water ritual on the banks of the River Medlock commissioned by Factory International to open the Manchester International Festival and celebrate connections between Manchester and Pakistan
210minutes
THE BIRD THAT NEVER FLEW
by Hanna Tuulikki
Place-responsive performance exploring Glasgow Cathedral’s roots in ornithological entanglements and to raise the alarm for critically endangered birds
42minutes
CALLS TO THIS NUMBER ARE BEING DIVERTED
composed by Matthew Grouse
music theatre for two soloists and an ensemble of three
90mins
commissioned by Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere
ITCH
composed by Jonathan Dove
opera for a cast of eight singers and twelve players
100mins
commissioned by James Clutton for Opera Holland Park with support from the Canadian Opera Company
with libretto by Alasdair Middleton
published in the UK by Edition Peters
PICTURE A DAY LIKE THIS
composed by George Benjamin
opera for a cast of five singers and twenty one players
60mins
co-commissioned and co-produced by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Royal Opera House Covent Garden London, Opéra national du Rhin, Opéra Comique, and les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, Oper Köln and Teatro di San Carlo
with libretto by Martin Crimp
published in the UK by Faber Music
THE FAGGOTS AND THEIR FRIENDS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS
composed by Philip Venables
music theatre for fifteen mixed performers
90mins
commissioned by Factory International, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Bregenzer Festspiele, the Southbank Centre and NYU Skirball in association with Holland Festival
WOMAN AT POINT ZERO
composed by Bushra El-Turk
opera for two voices, ancient folk instruments and pre-recorded audio samples
60mins
commissioned by LOD muziektheater (BE), co-produced by Royal Opera House, Shubbak Festival, Britten Pears Arts, Festival d’Aix, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, & All Aria’s Festival (de Singel Antwerpen, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Concertgebouw Brugge & Transparant)
with libretto by Stacy Hardy
GAVIN BRYARS
Gavin Bryars, a former philosophy student turned jazz bassist, helped pioneer British free improvisation and approaches composition as a vast creative field. His groundbreaking works The Sinking of the Titanic and Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet explore time and memory, with the latter gaining new life in a 1993 version featuring Tom Waits that was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize. Known for integrating “music which refers to other music,” Bryars’ compositions evoke reflective, timeless experiences that remain accessible yet deeply inventive.
ROXANNA PANUFNIK
Roxanna Panufnik‘s breakthrough piece, Westminster Mass, was commissioned to honour Cardinal Basil Hume and established her reputation for expressive, clear word-setting and harmonic depth. Panufnik’s choral compositions range from her Tallinn Mass, featuring Estonian poetry, to the Zen-inspired Wild Ways, which integrates a Japanese shakuhachi flute. A devoted advocate for choral music, she hopes to inspire young singers as a Patron of the Diamond Fund for Choristers. Her broader repertoire includes operas and instrumental works that explore global musical traditions, such as Four World Seasons and Abraham, which unite faiths and cultures in a celebration of shared beauty.
