The Ivors Composer Awards
The Ivors Composer Awards is the UK's foremost celebration of creative excellence in contemporary classical and jazz composition and sound arts.
Celebrating the best new works by composers writing for classical, jazz and sound art in the UK
The winners of The Ivors Composer Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on Wednesday 8 December at the British Museum in London.
Each winner will receive an Ivor Novello Award. 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 10 November across six categories. 40% of the composers in the running for an Ivor Novello Award this year are first-time nominees.
In addition to the six categories, four Gift of the Academy Awards will be presented at the awards ceremony including Ivor Novello Awards for Innovation, Outstanding Works Collection, Impact and a Visionary Award.
The Ivors Composer Awards are sponsored by PRS for Music. The awards presentation is in association with BBC Radio 3, who provide exclusive broadcast coverage.
2021 Nominations
Nominee
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BYE
Composed by Alex Paxton
for small jazz ensemble and improviser
10 mins
listen on SoundCloud
Nominee
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CORNCRACK DREAMS
Composed by Alex Paxton
for trombone, keyboard and drums
2 mins
commissioned by Nevis Ensemble and North Uist Distillery
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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DREAMS
Composed by Brigitte Beraha and Dave Manington
for jazz sextet
9 mins
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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THE CAGED BIRD
Composed by Nikki Iles
for jazz band
9 mins
commissioned by The International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers
Nominee
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THE RISE OF THE LIZARD PEOPLE
Composed by Ivo Neame
for jazz orchestra
6 mins
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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CATAMORPHOSIS
Composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir
for orchestra
20 mins
commissioned by Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker, New York Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Iceland Symphony Orchestra
watch an excerpt on YouTube
for more information and to order the score visit Wise Music Classical
Nominee
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DEMOCRACY DANCES
Composed by Conor Mitchell
for symphony orchestra
13 mins
commissioned by Oh Yeah Music Centre, Belfast (with the Belfast Ensemble)
watch on YouTube
Nominee
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KAAMOS
Composed by Lara Poe
for orchestra
11 mins
commissioned by Lahti Symphony Orchestra
listen on SoundCloud
Nominee
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PHARMAKEIA
Composed by James Dillon
for 16 players
52 mins
commissioned by London Sinfonietta and Ensemble Intercontemporain with support from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
watch on YouTube
for more information and to order the score visit Edition Peters
Nominee
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THIS DEPARTING LANDSCAPE
Composed by Martin Suckling
for orchestra
20 mins
commissioned by BBC Radio 3
listen on Apple Music
for more information and to order the score visit Faber Music
Nominee
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A FIELD GUIDE TO PEBBLES
Composed by Lynne Plowman
for percussion duo
11 mins
funded by Arts Council of Wales
listen on Apple Music
for more information and to order the score visit Composers Edition
Nominee
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NIGHTINGALES: ULTRA-DEEP FIELD
Composed by Tansy Davies
for string quartet
17 mins
commissioned by Stiftung Berliner Philharmoniker, Southbank Centre, London and Arditti Quartet, with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation
for more information and to order the score visit Faber Music
Nominee
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SOMETIMES VOICES
Composed by Alex Paxton
for keyboard and drums
10 mins
commissioned by Hyper Duo
watch on YouTube
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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STILL LIFE
Composed by Stephen Goss
for cello and guitar
15 mins
commissioned by Patterson/Sutton duo through the Clyfford Still Museum, Denver, CO, USA
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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WICKED PROBLEMS
Composed by Laura Bowler
for voice and bass flute with fixed tape
9 mins
commissioned by Sound Festival with the support of PRSF Beyond Borders
listen on SoundCloud
watch on YouTube
Nominee
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βECHO THE ANGELUSβ
Composed by James Dillon
for piano
26 mins
for more information and to order the score visit Edition Peters
Nominee
FADING SPELLSPHERE
Nominee
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LAMPADES
Composed by Martin Iddon
for tuba and fixed media
30 mins
commissioned by Jack Adler-McKean
watch on YouTube
Nominee
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LINEAR CONSTRUCTION (NO. 5)
Composed by Alex Groves
for cello
4 mins
listen on Apple Music
Nominee
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NO ONE
Composed by Robin Haigh
for harp
10 mins
commissioned by Presteigne Festival and Royal Philharmonic Society
watch on YouTube
Nominee
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FIRE PREVENTION OR HOW TO SING A LABYRINTH OR THE REBEING AND THE BURNING OF THE LABYRINTH
Composed by Nwando Ebizie
for piano, voice and electronics with field recordings
38 mins
commissioned by Radiophrenia and Supernormal Festival
listen on SoundCloud
An experimental listening journey for static listener inspired by Borgesian labyrinths. A ritual for the artist and the listener. The piece incorporates binaural field recordings, interviews, piano, sampling, poetry, storytelling. It is an attempt to create a phenomenological labyrinth in audio form.
Nominee
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LONDON 26 AND 28 MARCH 2020: IMITATION: INVERSION
Composed by Caroline Kraabel
for baritone, alto and sopranino saxophones, double bass and film
39 mins
The film started as 40 minutes of shots of London during the first UK Covid 19 Lockdown (the strict phase of which began on 23 March 2020). These were taken on my phone during permitted exercise (cycling).
The shots from 26 March are βimitatedβ. On the alto saxophone I have recreated and recorded as many as possible of the original sounds from the (poor-quality) audio on my phone-shots, and thus replaced the original audio.
The shots from 28 March replace the original audio, too, but are βinvertedβ. I wanted to make a soundtrack that was in some definable way the OPPOSITE of the actual sounds recorded on my phone.
Nominee
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NOCTURNAL INSIGHTS
Composed by Nikki Sheth
field recordings of crepuscular and nocturnal wildlife in the UK
6 mins
commissioned by Land Lines Project
listen on SoundCloud
This soundscape piece reveals the hidden sounds of nocturnal wildlife in the UK in order to bring a wider awareness of environmental sound and to preserve and archive sounds of the natural world before they disappear.
Nominee
Read more
THE CUCKMERE SOUNDWALK
Composed by Ed Hughes
for chamber orchestra
30 mins
listen on Apple Music
The Cuckmere Soundwalk was launched in September 2020 by the composer for the ECHOES interactive soundwalks App. This App uses geo-location to enable users to enjoy site-specific walking experiences with immersive sound and music. Cuckmere Haven is an area of flood plains in Sussex, where the river Cuckmere meets the English Channel. Its location is between the coastal towns of Seaford and Eastbourne.
Nominee
Read more
WAVES OF RESISTANCE (RADIO ART WITHOUT BORDERS)
Composed by Magz Hall
for WASP synth and location recordings from the Irish Sea and Canterbury Garden
11 mins
commissioned for the Aerial/Sparks Arts Trail on Innis Orr
curated by Louise Manifold for Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture 2020
funded by the Irish Arts Council and The Irish Marine Institute
A radiophonic work that considers how radio helps us with forced isolation, and how visible and invisible boundaries can be broken via radio waves as an act of resistance.
listen on SoundCloud
Nominee
Read more
BARUCH β TEN PROPOSITIONS OF BARUCH SPINOZA FOR TENOR AND PIANO
Composed by Michael Zev Gordon
for tenor and piano
21 mins
commissioned by Oxford Lieder Festival
listen on SoundCloud
for more information and to order the score visit Composers Edition
Nominee
Read more
GYΓKΓR (ROOT)
Composed by Thomas Adès
for mezzo-soprano and four percussionists
4 mins
commissioned by Oliver Zeffman
listen on Apple Music
watch an extract on YouTube
Nominee
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NEVER TO FORGET
Composed by Howard Goodall
for SATB choir and small orchestra
8 mins
commissioned by London Symphony Chorus
watch on YouTube
for more information and to order the score visit Faber Music
Nominee
Read more
THINKING I HEAR THEE CALL
Composed by Cheryl Frances-Hoad
for soprano, speaker and electronics
5 mins
commissioned by Electric Voice Theatre
listen on SoundCloud
Nominee
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VIDI AQUAM
Composed by James MacMillan
for 40 a cappella voices, split into 8 SSATB choirs
9 mins
commissioned by ORA Singers
listen on Apple Music
for more information and to order the score visit Boosey & Hawkes
DELVE INTO THE 2021 NOMINATIONS
Bringing together music nominated in 2021 this playlist on Apple Music highlights those works available as commercial recordings.
Latest Awards news
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β¨Over 1,200 guests
π·9 events
π26 songwriters and composers awarded an Ivor
π₯33 speakers and presenters
π8 partners and sponsors - @applemusic @prsformusic @attitudeiseverythinghq @ppl_uk @downtownmusicservices @familyinmusic @earthpercent and @hipgnosissongs
That was #IvorsWeek and #TheIvors
One @IvorsAcademy and one @IvorsAcademyTrust β championing, supporting and developing music creators.
π @prsformusic for hosting a fabulous after #TheIvors party this #IvorsWeek
@michelleescoffery isπ₯π₯π₯
πRising Star nominee Kamal. looking so fresh at todayβs brunch for #TheIvors nominees and winners.
Another event to celebrate songwriters this #IvorsWeek
All the best bits from #TheIvors red carpet arrivals π€©
Swipe β‘οΈ @blanckmass shares his career story to date, from DIY shows as a punk musician, to Ivor Novello Award winning film composer.
πΈ with presenter @nainita_desai
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #BlanckMass #CalmwithHorses
The 2021 Ivors Inspiration Award winners, @goldfrappmusic π«
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #AlisonGoldfrapp #WillGregory #Goldfrapp
Composer @garethcoker tells us about the creative process behind his beautiful (and now Ivor Novello Award winning!) score for @orithegame ππ€π
#TheIvors
Our amazing -25 board directors Hope and Imongen carrying on #TheIvors celebrations at the @prsformusic afterparty
@barneylister and @obongjayar win at The Ivors π
Congrats to the pair who have won Best Song Musically and Lyrically with their incredible song Godβs Own Children π
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #BarneyLister #Obongjayar #GodsOwnChildren
βIt was such a fun songwriting experienceβ πΌπΆ
Ivor Novello Award winner @amyallen tells us what it was like to write Adore You with @tylersamj @kidharpoon and @harrystyles
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #AmyAllen #TylerJohnson #KidHarpoon #HarryStyles #AdoreYou
Itβs the legendary @tearsforfearsmusic, fresh from scooping the Ivor Novello Award for Ourstanding Song Collection
#TheIvors
π Rising Star winners 2021 and 2020 @willowkayne and @mmmmysie
#TheIvors
π Congratulations to the brilliant @liannelahavas who picks up an Ivor Novello Award for Best Album.
#TheIvors
Special International Award winner @jonbonjovi couldn't attend the ceremony, but he did send us this ππ
#TheIvors #JonBonJovi #BonJovi
πΆπ SPECIAL INTERNATIONAL AWARD with @applemusic ππΆ
@jonbonjovi and @therealsambora @bonjovi
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #JonBonJovi #RichieSambora #BonJovi
π«πΏ The Ivors OUTSTANDING SONG COLLECTION πΏπ«
Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith @tearsforfearsmusic
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #RolandOrzabal #CurtSmith #TearsForFears
β¨πΉ THE IVORS INSPIRATION AWARD πΉβ¨
@alison_goldfrapp and Will Gregory
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #AlisonGoldfrapp #Will#Gregory #Goldfrapp
ππΆ The Ivors SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR πΆπ
@celeste and @Bensbrother1
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #Celeste #JamieHartman #SongwriteroftheYear
π«π» THE IVORS CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARD π»π«
Mark-Anthony Turnage
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #MarkAnthonyTurnage
πΆπΏ The Ivors winner for BEST ALBUM πΏπΆ
Lianne La Havas written by Matthew Hales and @liannelahavas
#TheIvors #IvorNovelloAward #MatthewHales #LianneLaHavas
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