The UK's foremost celebration of creative excellence in contemporary classical, jazz and sound arts.
2022 Winners Announced
Celebrating the best new works by composers writing for classical, jazz and sound art in the UK
The winners of 20th edition of The Ivors Composer Awards were announced at an awards ceremony on Tuesday 15 November at the British Museum in London.
Each winner received an iconic Ivor Novello statuette and joined a roll call of greats. Recognised as a pinnacle of achievement since they were first presented in 1956, an Ivor represents peer recognition as they are judged by fellow composers and music creators.
The nominations were announced on 18 October across nine categories. 46% of the composers in the running for an Ivor Novello Award this year are first-time nominees.
In addition to the nine categories, three composers were recognised for their sustained contributions to music. Sir George Benjamin received the Ivor Novello for Outstanding Works Collection, presented in association with the Music Publishers Association. Judith Weir was honoured with Fellowship of The Ivors Academy and Talvin Singh received the Ivor Novello for Innovation, presented in association with the Musicians’ Union.
Sponsored by PRS for Music, the awards ceremony was in association with BBC Radio 3 who will broadcast an exclusive edition of the New Music Show dedicated to the awards on Saturday 19 November from 10pm.
2022 Awards Ceremony
The Ivors Composer Awards returned to the British Museum, London on Tuesday 15 November 2022.
We welcomed over 300 guests from across the classical, jazz and sound art community for an evening of celebration with the live awards ceremony introduced by BBC Radio 3 presenters Hannah Peel and Tom Service.
Date
Time
18:15 - 22:30
Address
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
In Times Square NYC, Leicester Square and Nashville @amazonmusic is celebrating songwriters with #TheIvors and honouring the craft and achievements of @theofficialsting...
We are excited to announce that @AmazonMusic is the new title sponsor for #TheIvors, the biggest and most prestigious celebration of songwriters on the planet.
This year @theofficialsting will collect his Fellowship 🐝 and for the first time @AmazonMusic will broadcast live performances 🎸 and interviews from the ceremony.
Links in the bio to listen to an unheard demo of Sting’s hit If It’s Love and find out about Ivors tickets....
Presented to songwriters and screen composers for their creative achievements since 1956, #TheIvors are one of the most loved and respected moments in music.
Tickets for this year`s award ceremony go on sale on Monday 20th February - save the date!
📸 Fran Healy, Best Contemporary Song and Songwriter of the Year winner at The Ivors in 2000....
Entries have opened for The Ivors, the most prestigious and respected awards for songwriters and composers.
Enter by 20 January across 7 categories
⚡️Rising Star Award ⚡️Best Album ⚡️Best Contemporary Song ⚡️Best Song Musically and Lyrically ⚡️Best Original Film Score ⚡️Best Original Video Game Score ⚡️Best Television Soundtrack
Judged by acclaimed songwriters and composers from the Academy, winners join a roll call of greats including @thecure #stormzy #amywinehouse @adele @shakira @sam_fender @santandave and many more.
Free entry for under-25 members for the Rising Star Award, discounted entry for members in all other categories.
Worthy recipient of Outstanding Song Collection at #TheIvors - Paul Heaton.
His exceptional talent at observing and challenging society with a pop sensibility has resulted in his place as one of this country’s finest songwriters.
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
Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to our sponsor @PRSforMusic and broadcast partner @BBCRadio3 for helping us support and champion composers 🙏#TheIvorsComposerAwards
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 👏
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 👏
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 👏
