New composers made a big impact at the British Composer Awards (BCA) with four categories won by artists appearing at the event for the first time.
The 10th annual BCAs took place on 3 December at Goldsmiths' Hall in London. The ceremony, which was hosted by British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), opened with a performance of previous winner Gareth Moorcraft’s wind piece Rondo?
Of the 13 BCA categories, four were awarded to composers who were completely new to the event. Ray Lee, Christine Tobin, Paul Rissmann and Thomas Larcher won the categories of Sonic Art, Contemporary Jazz Composition, Community or Educational Project and the International Award respectively.
Meanwhile, Sir Harrison Birtwistle won his fourth BCA accolade for his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Harrison’s previous awards include both the Orchestral and Choral awards in 2005 and the Instrumental Solo or Duo award for Crowd in 2007.
Later in December, Harrison’s Crowd piece will be performed by Helen Tunstall, harpist with the Endymion Ensemble, as part of the BCA 10th Anniversary Concert at the Purcell Room on London’s Southbank.
Sarah Rodgers, Chairman of BASCA and the BCA, said: ‘This has been a great year for British composers and BASCA is immensely proud to celebrate their success at the BCA.
‘The 10th anniversary awards have presented an authentic reflection of the new and the established, across a spectrum of language and invention which affirms the high reputation of contemporary classical composition in the UK.’
The awards are presented by BASCA and sponsored by PRS for Music in association with BBC Radio 3.
The full list of winners at this year’s BCA includes:
Instrumental Solo or Duo
Christian Mason Learning Self- Modulation
Chamber
Thomas Adès The Four Quarters
Vocal
Colin Matthews No Man’s Land
Choral
Gabriel Jackson Airplane Cantata
Wind Band or Brass Band
Simon Dobson A Symphony of Colours
Orchestral
Sir Harrison Birtwistle Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Stage Works
Jocelyn Pook DESH
Liturgical
Francis Grier Missa Brevis
Sonic Art
Ray Lee The Ethometric Museum
Contemporary Jazz Composition
Christine Tobin Sailing to Byzantium
Community or Educational Project
Paul Rissmann The Chimpanzees of Project Happytown
Making Music Award
Emily Howard Mesmerism for Piano and Chamber Orchestra
International Award
Thomas Larcher Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra
The 10th annual BCAs took place on 3 December at Goldsmiths' Hall in London. The ceremony, which was hosted by British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA), opened with a performance of previous winner Gareth Moorcraft’s wind piece Rondo?
Of the 13 BCA categories, four were awarded to composers who were completely new to the event. Ray Lee, Christine Tobin, Paul Rissmann and Thomas Larcher won the categories of Sonic Art, Contemporary Jazz Composition, Community or Educational Project and the International Award respectively.
Meanwhile, Sir Harrison Birtwistle won his fourth BCA accolade for his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Harrison’s previous awards include both the Orchestral and Choral awards in 2005 and the Instrumental Solo or Duo award for Crowd in 2007.
Later in December, Harrison’s Crowd piece will be performed by Helen Tunstall, harpist with the Endymion Ensemble, as part of the BCA 10th Anniversary Concert at the Purcell Room on London’s Southbank.
Sarah Rodgers, Chairman of BASCA and the BCA, said: ‘This has been a great year for British composers and BASCA is immensely proud to celebrate their success at the BCA.
‘The 10th anniversary awards have presented an authentic reflection of the new and the established, across a spectrum of language and invention which affirms the high reputation of contemporary classical composition in the UK.’
The awards are presented by BASCA and sponsored by PRS for Music in association with BBC Radio 3.
The full list of winners at this year’s BCA includes:
Instrumental Solo or Duo
Christian Mason Learning Self- Modulation
Chamber
Thomas Adès The Four Quarters
Vocal
Colin Matthews No Man’s Land
Choral
Gabriel Jackson Airplane Cantata
Wind Band or Brass Band
Simon Dobson A Symphony of Colours
Orchestral
Sir Harrison Birtwistle Concerto for Violin and Orchestra
Stage Works
Jocelyn Pook DESH
Liturgical
Francis Grier Missa Brevis
Sonic Art
Ray Lee The Ethometric Museum
Contemporary Jazz Composition
Christine Tobin Sailing to Byzantium
Community or Educational Project
Paul Rissmann The Chimpanzees of Project Happytown
Making Music Award
Emily Howard Mesmerism for Piano and Chamber Orchestra
International Award
Thomas Larcher Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra
