Archive
View galleries, winners and nominees of British Composer Awards from 2003 to 2018 and Ivor Novello Awards at The Ivors Composer Awards since 2019.
JUDITH WEIR
The Ivors Academy awarded Judith Weir with Academy Fellowship to recognise her excellence and impact in the art and craft of music creation. Weir’s unparalleled musical output saw her become the first female Master of the Queen’s Music in 2014. The Academy stated that “her music reaches out to the listener with a distinctive and persuasive voice” and highlighted her “ability to tell compelling, impactful stories and distil musical and dramatic ideas to their essences”.
Judith Weir won a British Composer Award in 2003 – the first year of the awards – and has since won a further British Composer Award and an Ivor Novello Award.
Listen to Judith Weir’s music on Spotify and Apple Music.
AESOP 2
composed by Robin Haigh
for untrained recorder soloist, 13 players and electronics
6½ mins
commissioned by Orchester im Treppenhaus
watch the Orchester im Treppenhaus and Robin Haigh conducted by Thomas Posth perform the work as part of Composer Slam European Championships on YouTube
to view the score click here
ESSENTIAL RELAXING CLASSICAL HITS
composed by Laurence Osborn
for amplified solo soprano and six players
45mins
commissioned by Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival and November Music Festival
MADAME MA BONNE SŒUR
composed by Brett Dean
for mezzo-soprano and string quartet
30mins
commissioned by Festspiele Mecklenburg Vorpommern and Oxford Lieder Festival
for more information and to view the score visit Boosey & Hawkes
MUSIC FOR BOSCH PEOPLE
composed by Alex Paxton
for two saxophones, two trombones, two electric guitars, drums and loudspeakers
15mins
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
THE BIG HOUSE
composed by Oliver Leith
for string quartet
25mins
commissioned for the Ruisi Quartet, by Peter and Veronica Lofthouse
watch a trailer about the work by the Ruisi Quartet
for more information and to view the score visit Faber Music
A SHORT STORY OF FALLING
composed by Joanna Marsh
for upper voice choir and piano
4½ mins
commissioned by the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
watch the National Youth Girls’ Choir of Great Britain, conducted by Joanna Tomlinson perform the work on YouTube
for more information and to purchase the score click here
ALL SHALL BE WELL
composed by Joanna Marsh
for unaccompanied choir
6mins
commissioned by RT Hon Patricia Hewitt for ORA Singers
watch ORA Singers perform the work as part of their Live From London debut on YouTube
for more information and to purchase the score click here
CARMINA TEMPORE VIRI (SONGS IN TIME OF VIRUS)
composed by Ken Hesketh
for upper voices, harp, organ and desk bells
22mins
commissioned by Temple Church London
listen to an excerpt on SoundCloud
to purchase the score click here
SEASCAPES
composed by Kristina Arakelyan
for unaccompanied choir
25mins
commissioned by BBC Singers
for more information and to purchase the score click here
THERE IS NO ROSE
composed by Cecilia McDowall
for unaccompanied choir
4mins
commissioned by King’s College Cambridge
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
DAYLIGHTING
composed by Louise Drewett
community opera for children’s choir, soloists, narrator and ensemble with libretto by Clare Shaw
35½ mins
commissioned by Royal Academy of Music
ISLE OF SOUND
composed by Emily Peasgood
soundscape project engaging communities in different parts of Thanet, Kent
for synth, vocal jingle and sound effects
18mins
commissioned by Turner Contemporary
listen to the work on SoundCloud
SOMETHING EXCITING
composed by Derri Joseph Lewis
for SSAATB choir
4mins
commissioned by National Youth Choirs of Great Britain
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
watch the NYCGB Fellowship Ensemble conducted by Ben Parry perform the piece on YouTube
THE SELFISH GIANT
composed by John Barber
youth opera with libretto by Jessica Duchen
60mins
commissioned by Garsington Opera and Opera North
WHEN A CHILD IS A WITNESS – REQUIEM FOR REFUGEES
composed by Liz Dilnot Johnson
for choir, children’s choir, mezzo soprano solo, organ, piano, violin/Hardanger fiddle and refugee groups
100mins
commissioned by Ex Cathedra
watch the promotional video on YouTube
for more information and to purchase the score visit Composers Edition
TALVIN SINGH
Virtuoso tabla player, percussionist, producer and composer Talvin Singh collected the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation, presented in association with the Musicians’ Union. The Ivors Academy considers him to be “a major creative and cultural influence, an innovator in every sense of the word, who continues to leave a unique footprint on our musical landscape.”
An instrumental figure in one of the most exciting movements in the history of British music – the Asian Underground’s distinctive mix of Western and Indian beats influenced musicians, to say nothing of raising the visibility of British-Indian artists. He has refused to be defined by genre, constantly innovating in his creative partnerships, which are extensive. From flautist Rakesh Chaurasia and sitar player Niladri Kumar to the American Free Jazz composer Sun Ra and members of the UK Big Band Jazz Warriors to projects with David Sylvian, Madonna and Richard Ashcroft.
Listen to Talvin Singh’s music on Amazon Music, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
22:22
composed by Dan Mar-Molinero
tenor saxophone feature for jazz orchestra
8 mins
BIRDS OF PARADISE
composed by Tori Freestone
for jazz trio (flute/triangle, vocals and piano)
9 mins
listen to an extract on SoundCloud
CWMWL TYSTION II – RIOT! SUITE
composed by Tomos Williams
for voice and jazz ensemble with live visuals
61 mins
funded by Ty Cerdd
PLANT BASED PATTERNS
composed by David De La Haye
for jazz trio with field recordings
8 mins
commissioned by Sound and Music and Sunderland Culture
listen on Bandcamp
TO LOVE ITSELF
composed by Alex Hitchcock
for jazz ensemble
10½ mins
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
CANDYFOLK SPACE-DRUM
composed by Alex Paxton
for 6 players, jazz drum kit, improvising soloist, electronics and children’s choir
34 mins
commissioned by London Sinfonietta
CONCERTO GROSSO
composed by Joe Cutler
for ten piece solo ensemble, orchestral strings and timpani
17 mins
commissioned by Sage Gateshead
for more information and to purchase the score visit Composers Edition
HOUSES SLIDE
composed by Laura Bowler
for cycling soprano, ensemble and fixed and live electronics
45 mins
commissioned by London Sinfonietta
watch on YouTube
SCENES FROM THE WILD
composed by Cheryl Frances-Hoad
for tenor and chamber orchestra
70mins
commissioned by City of London Sinfonia for their 50th anniversary year
for more information and to purchase the score visit Wise Music Classical
SLEEPTALKER
composed by Robin Haigh
for thirty piece chamber orchestra
8 mins
watch on YouTube
to view the score click here
À MON SEUL DÉSIR
composed by Brian Irvine
for violin and orchestra
16 mins
commissioned by RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra
listen on SoundCloud
ACTS OF WAVES
composed by Edmund Finnis
for orchestra
17 mins
commissioned by Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
to purchase the score click here
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA
composed by George Benjamin
for orchestra
17 mins
commissioned by Mahler Chamber Orchestra, supported by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation and the Karolina Blaberg Foundation, and BBC Radio 3
watch on YouTube
for more information and to purchase the score visit Faber Music
LITANIES
composed by Julian Anderson
for cello and orchestra
23 mins
commissioned by Radio France, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Swedish Chamber Orchestra, and Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
for more information and to purchase the score visit Schott Music
TO AN UTTERANCE
composed by Rebecca Saunders
for piano and symphony orchestra
28mins
for more information and to purchase the score visit Edition Peters
GEORGE BENJAMIN
George Benjamin received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Works Collection, presented with the Music Publishers Association. Recognising the artistry and legacy of his compositional output, The Ivors Academy said the “consistent beauty, complexity and colour of his compositions is outstanding.”
From his first BBC Proms premiere at the age of 20, Benjamin went on to receive commissions from all over the world. His opera Written On Skin – which won the Academy’s Stage Works Award in 2013 – would cement Benjamin’s position as one of the most important voices in contemporary music. Performed by over 20 international opera houses, it is a masterpiece in operatic composition, and has become one of the most acclaimed works of the twenty-first century.
Listen to George Benjamin’s music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music.
CORALE
composed by Benjamin Graves
for viola and piano
9 mins
commissioned by Park Lane Group supported by the Marchus and Fidelio Trusts
FANTASIE DI STRANI E DOLCI MISTERI DELLA PAROLA
composed by James Weeks
for mezzo soprano and violin
23 mins
listen on Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify or YouTube Music
For more information and to purchase the score visit University of York Press
NATURAL WORLD
composed by Laurence Crane
for soprano and piano / sampler keyboard
50 mins
commissioned by Juliet Fraser, with the support of Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants, PRS Foundation’s The Open Fund for Music Creators and the RVW Trust, and co-commission partners Oxford Lieder and Musica Sacra Maastricht
listen to an excerpt on SoundCloud
ROSALIND
composed by Hannah Kendall
for soprano, baritone and piano
15 mins
commissioned by Leeds Lieder Festival, supported by Arts Council England
listen to an excerpt on SoundCloud
THIS UNQUIET AUTUMN
composed by Lara Agar
for soprano and piano
13 mins
commissioned by Juliet Fraser
listen on SoundCloud
BEACONS
by Emily Peasgood
a site-specific outdoor ritual, performed on the beaches in coastal communities that features an experimental vocal performance and sound responsive light installation.
commissioned by Alison Neighbour and Creative Folkestone
watch on Vimeo
visit project website
DOWN GONE
by Una Lee
An audio composition for voice and electronics that explores speech, homophonic translation and musicalisation.
Down Gone forms a part of the broader project ‘FERVĒRE’, a research-led, bi-lingual body of work consisting of multi-format pieces: sound composition/performance, live reading performance, visual poem, video & textual installations, and text publication. The project addresses the rarely recognised entanglement of racism and sexism on East Asian female body within the Western culture, going back across the recent history, with real-life incidents as references such as Atlanta Spa Shooting and murder of Korean-American artist Theresa Hak Kyung Cha.
listen to an extract on SoundCloud
EARTHQUAKE MASS RE-IMAGINED
by Kathy Hinde
A sound installation comprising twelve adapted turntables playing vinyl pressings of a twelve-voice 15th century choral mass, reconfigured in response to seismic data.
commissioned by Cryptic in partnership with The Anglo Mexican Foundation & Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM)
The installation is centred around the twelve vocal parts of Antoine Brumel’s Agnus Dei recorded individually by a Mexican choir, cut to vinyl and played on adapted turntables. Seismic data from the earthquake that shook Mexico on 19th September 2017 shapes the behaviour of the turntables.
watch an excerpt on Vimeo
listen to an excerpt on SoundCloud
THE MUTE STILL AIR
by Ed Carter
site-specific, sculptural sound installation and live performance involving electronically controlled fans, copper wind chimes and brass band
commissioned and produced by BEAM for the Wentworth & Elsecar Great Place Project
The Mute Still Air is an evolving piece that reflects on the significance of social responsibility within a brutal commercial industry, taking inspiration from the cultural impact of Benjamin Biram’s pioneering engineering work in the mines of South Yorkshire.
watch on Vimeo
THE SOUND VOICE PROJECT: PAUL, I LEFT MY VOICE BEHIND, TANJA
by Hannah Conway
A unique performance installation exploring three powerful stories of voice loss and identity
Paul – aria for two singers
I Left My Voice Behind – tableau for two choirs and two cellos
Tanja – trio for video and two singers
commissioned by the Sound Voice
watch on YouTube
DANTE
composed by Thomas Adès
ballet in three parts, for orchestra with pre-recorded voices and female choir
choreography by Wayne Macgregor
82 mins
commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel, Music and Artistic Director, and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation for the Royal Ballet, Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor, with the generous support of the Lenore S. and Bernard A. Greenberg Fund. Part 1, Inferno, was co-commissioned by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam, for concert performances
For more information and to purchase the score visit Faber Music
OPSNIZING DAD
composed by John Wallace
opera in one act for Solo tenor voice, chorus, brass ensemble (period instruments) and percussion
libretto by Elizabeth Ingram-Wallace
31 mins
watch on YouTube
SYLLABLE
composed by Edward Jessen
operatic sonic theatre work for soloists, chorus, chamber orchestra and auxiliary audio
80 mins
commissioned by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in partnership with Decipherer Arts Projects, and with funding from Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants, PRS for Music Foundation Open Fund for Music Creators, Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust and from the The Gemma Classical Music Trust
watch on YouTube
THE SHACKLED KING
composed by John Casken
drama for bass, mezzo-soprano and ensemble
50 mins
commissioned by Barry Millington and Counterpoise Ensemble
watch excerpt on YouTube
WITCH
composed by Freya Waley-Cohen
opera in one act for 14 singers and chamber orchestra
libretto by Ruth Mariner
69 mins
commissioned by the Royal Academy of Music for their 200th anniversary
watch on YouTube
for more information and to purchase the score visit Birdsong Music Publishing
