EACH WINNER
RECEIVES AN IVOR NOVELLO AWARD, CELEBRATING THE CRAFT AND EXCELLENCE OF COMPOSERS AND SONGWRITERS
The Ivors Classical Awards are presented by The Ivors Academy and judged by acclaimed composers to honour their peers
EVENT
6.30PM
DRINKS AND CANAPÉS
BFI Riverfront
7.30PM
AWARDS CEREMONY
NFT 1
Welcome
Best Community and Participation Composition in association with ABRSM
Best Small Chamber Composition
Best Sound Art
Best Choral Composition
Outstanding Works Collection
Best Chamber Ensemble Composition
Performance
Best Stage Work Composition
Best Large Ensemble Composition
Innovation Award in association with the Musicians’ Union
Best Orchestral Composition in association with Dorico
Academy Fellowship
9.00PM
DRINKS AND BOWL FOOD
BFI Riverfront
10.30PM
GUEST DEPARTURES
EMPOWERING, CHAMPIONING & PROTECTING COMPOSERS.
Become a member of The Ivors Academy
Discounted rates for early career writers and joint membership
(L-R) Roberto Neri, Chief Executive Officer of The Ivors Academy with Tom Gray, Chair of The Ivors Academy
Welcome to The Ivors Classical Awards, the foremost celebration of classical composers and sound artists.
We are delighted that you have joined us for an evening dedicated to honouring exceptional talent and craft in composition. Presented by The Ivors Academy, these awards recognise the most innovative and creative composers working in classical music and sound art today.
Tonight represents an important moment in our mission to protect, champion and empower composers and songwriters. We understand the pressures composers face, and The Ivors Academy is committed to advocating for the arts and providing our members with the support, knowledge and connections they need to succeed.
We extend a special thank you to our members who have generously served as judges. Their peer recognition makes each Ivor Novello Award truly meaningful.
This evening also underscores the importance of commissioners in supporting contemporary repertoire. This year’s nominees have been commissioned by organisations including the Manchester International Festival, Britten Sinfonia, Wigmore Hall, BBC Radio 3, London Philharmonic Orchestra and many more.
We extend our gratitude to PRS for Music and BBC Radio 3 for their longstanding support of these awards. We are thrilled to welcome Presto Music as the exclusive streaming partner of The Ivors Classical Awards, alongside Dorico, sponsor of the Best Orchestral Composition award, the Musicians’ Union, sponsor of the Innovation award, and ABRSM, sponsor of the Best Community and Participation Composition award.
Thank you for joining us in this celebration of the extraordinary craft of composition.
Tom Gray Chair of The Ivors Academy
Roberto Neri CEO of The Ivors Academy
We’re in your corner.
With nearly a third more distributed to classical members and their publishers in 2023 compared to 2019, we're committed to championing the composers and sound artists who shape our music landscape.
We're proud to sponsor The Ivors Classical Awards, celebrating some of the most exciting talent in classical music today.
Welcome to the 22nd edition of The Ivors Classical Awards, a night celebrating Britain and Ireland’s finest talent in contemporary classical composition and sound art.
The journey for composers, especially in today’s world, is often a challenging one. Yet, despite numerous obstacles, the classical community remain steadfast. Composers and sound artists are creating new music and creative compositions that continue to enrich our musical landscape.
This year marks our 110 th year and since 1914 we have worked hard to protect and grow the value of the rights entrusted to us. It continues to be one of our core focuses — to ensure that royalties are paid quickly, transparently and accurately to rights owners.
Tonight, as we applaud the exceptional artistry among us, we are reminded there is no PRS without songwriters, composers and music publishers and the importance of supporting composers, not just in moments of recognition, but throughout their careers.
Each year, PRS Foundation’s support enables composers to develop their craft, compose new work and share their creations with audiences across the world. Through its funding programmes including the Open Fund, The Composers’ Fund and Resonate as well as its Talent Development Network, PRS Foundation is vital to nurturing talent and ensuring that the genre remains vibrant and innovative.
Recently, we held our first ever PRS Presents Classical Edition in collaboration with PRS Foundation at LSO St Luke’s, London featuring radical classical ensemble, Manchester Collective. The evening showcased works from some of PRS’s classical members including Jocelyn Campbell, Edmund Finnis, Philip Glass, Christian Mason, Anna Meredith, Dobrinka Tabakova and Errollyn Wallen. Themes of admiration and celebration for the classical sector were conveyed throughout the evening.
Congratulations to all of tonight’s nominees and winners and congratulations to The Ivors Academy for championing creative excellence year-round.
Andrea Czapary Martin CEO, PRS for Music
Julian Nott Chair, PRS Members’ Council
It’s a pleasure to welcome you once more to The Ivors Classical Awards on behalf of the BBC.
This time last year, I was reflecting on the Corporation’s connection to the vibrant and thriving new music community across the UK, and how important this was to me personally; such a draw to the role of Controller which I took on 18 months ago.
Championing contemporary music continues to be a vital part of our work at Radio 3, and the BBC is still the biggest commissioner of new works. Whether broadcasting experimental and innovative pieces on our New Music Show or showcasing the work of artist-composers through our new stream BBC Radio 3 Unwind — launched just last week — nurturing and promoting the best of new music is critical. It runs throughout our schedules and is part of our distinctive live and specially-recorded music offering, with Radio 3 now the only radio station that broadcasts live music on a daily basis. Whether inspiring a first-time listener enthralled by a new work, or bringing something different to loyal, longstanding audiences, this is absolutely fundamental to what we do.
Tonight, we celebrate the creative endeavours of some of the most exciting talent in classical music and sound art, and we are grateful for our partnership with The Ivors Academy.
To re-live the buzz of this evening, tune in to Radio 3’s New Music Show at 10.30pm on Saturday 16 November, or catch up on BBC Sounds. Many congratulations to everyone who has been nominated tonight.
Sam Jackson Controller, BBC Radio 3
THE JUDGES
An Ivor Novello Award represents peer recognition.
The Ivors Academy would like to thank all who sat on this year’s award panels:
Luke Bedford • Michael Betteridge • Ned Bigham
Cameron Biles-Liddell • Laura Bowler • Charlotte Bray
Esmeralda Conde Ruiz • Tom Coult • Odaline de la Martinez
Liz Dilnot Johnson • Jasper Dommett • Freya Edmondes
Kersten Glandien • Lucy Goddard • Orlando Gough
Edward Gregson • Robin Haigh • Sadie Harrison
Ken Hesketh • Brian Irvine • Athanasia Kontou
Catherine Kontz • Nicola LeFanu • Olivia Louvel
Stuart MacRae • Graham McKenzie • Uchenna Ngwe
Ailís Ní Ríain • Lucy Pankhurst • Naomi Pinnock
Sarah Rodgers • John Rutter • Seth Scott Deuchar
Arlene Sierra • Michael Small • Carmel Smickersgill
Josephine Stephenson • Luke Styles • Dobrinka Tabakova
Matthew Whiteside • Ayanna Witter-Johnson • Raymond Yiu
BEST COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATION COMPOSITION IN ASSOCIATION WITH ABRSM
14 WEEKS JANE STANLEY
for SATB chorus, 9 minutes
Setting of text by the poet Judith Bishop. Commissioned by the Glasgow School of Art Choir for their Composeher project in collaboration with Glasgow Women’s Library. Performed by Glasgow School of Art Choir, conducted by Jamie Sansbury, on 27 May 2023 at City Halls, Glasgow.
A CHILDREN’S GUIDE TO ANARCHY (AN EASTERHOUSE CHILDREN’S MANIFESTO)
BRIAN IRVINE
for ensemble and singers, 19 minutes
A collection of seven musical animated video posters, exploring ideas of personal autonomy, kindness and human connectivity from a child’s perspective. Libretto by John McIlduff and children of Oakwood Primary School. Commissioned by Dumbworld and Red Note Ensemble and performed by Red Note Ensemble and Oakwood Primary School on 14 June 2023 at Platform Art Centre, Glasgow.
FLY/WORK/GROW HANNAH CONWAY
for amateur child and adult vocal soloists, operatic soprano, pro-vocalist, recorded speech, violin, cello and piano, 16 minutes
Platforms the real-lived experiences of homeless families in the UK. Libretto by Hazel Gould. Commissioned by CHAMPIONS and Sound Voice, and performed by Bee Squad on 10 April 2023 and live streamed via the Sound Voice website.
IN YOUR HANDS AMY BRYCE
for youth voices: two SATB choirs with additional upper voices, piano and percussion, 12 minutes
Commissioned and performed by London Youth Choirs on 9 May 2023 at Royal Albert Hall, London.
TUXEDO: DUST BOWL #3 HANNAH KENDALL
for massed ensemble of harmonicas and optional SATB voices, 10 minutes
Performed by CoMA Ensemble and Singers on 15 July 2023 at St John’s Smith Square, London as part of CoMA’s 30 th Anniversary weekend. Published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing.
BEST SMALL CHAMBER COMPOSITION
BYOYOMI RŪTA VITKAUSKAITĖ
for clarinet and string quartet, 14 minutes
Commissioned by CRAS Ensemble. Performed by Scott Lygate, Emma Lloyd, Lisa Robertson, Katherine Wren, and Laura Sergeant on 22 June 2023 at Scottish Music Centre, Glasgow.
ENGLISH DANCING MASTER LEO CHADBURN
for pre-recorded voices and string quartet, 26 minutes
Commissioned and performed by Phaedra Ensemble on 3 December 2023 at Café Oto, London.
LAKES, MISTS, BATS, DAGGERS, AND FOUNTAINS LAURENCE OSBORN
for string quartet, 20 minutes
Commissioned by Wigmore Hall. Performed by Solem Quartet on 25 November 2023 at Wigmore Hall, London.
THE MOUTH REBECCA SAUNDERS
for soprano and tape, 20 minutes
Commissioned by Annie Claire for ManiFeste Festival, Paris. Performed by Juliet Fraser and Newton Armstrong on 21 June 2023 at Britten Studio, Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh. Published in the UK by Edition Peters.
TIDING II (SILENTIUM) LISA ILLEAN
for soprano saxophone, percussion, piano and electronics, 17 minutes
Commissioned by SWR for Donaueschinger Musiktage. Performed by GBSR Duo, David Zucchi and Michael Acker on 20 November 2023 at St Paul’s Hall, Huddersfield as part of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2023.
Published in the UK by Faber Music.
RUTH CRAFER
Congratulations to all our composers on their nominations and awards at The IVORS
Classical Awards 2024
Errollyn Wallen ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
IVOR NOVELLO AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING WORKS COLLECTION Edition
Edition Peters is proud to publish selected works by Errollyn Wallen
Roxanna Panufnik
McComb
BEST SOUND ART
A LADDER IS NOT THE ONLY KIND OF TIME
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, 50 minutes
Presented by Benjamin Tassie, Rebecca Lee and Rob Bentall on 30 November 2023 at Weston Park Museum, Sheffield.
EACH TINY DROP 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, 210 minutes
Presented at Mayfield Park, Manchester on 29 June 2023 as part of the Manchester International Festival 2023.
ORASAIGH DUNCAN MACLEOD
Acousmatic binaural soundwalk composition inspired by the landscape around the tidal island of Orasaigh, located on the coast of South Uist at Boisdale. Commissioned by Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum & Arts Centre, 46 minutes
Presented at Boisdale, South Uist on 5 November 2023.
PO(E)SIES UNA LEE
Live performance work for close-harmony quartet and spoken voice, reincarnating the Korean ancient poetry form ‘Hyangga’, 35 minutes
Presented by Una Lee and Landless at Cultúrlann Uí Chanáin, Derry on 30 January 2024.
THE BIRD THAT NEVER FLEW HANNA TUULIKKI
Place-responsive performance exploring Glasgow Cathedral’s roots in ornithological entanglements and to raise the alarm for critically endangered birds. Commissioned by Historic Environment Scotland with Arts & Heritage, 42 minutes
Presented by Hanna Tuulikki, Lucy Duncombe and Mischa Macpherson at Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow on 8 September 2023.
BEST CHORAL COMPOSITION
BATTER MY HEART JOANNA MARSH
for SSAATTBB choir, 6 minutes
Setting of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet 14. Commissioned by The Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn to celebrate 400 years of the Lincoln’s Inn Chapel and performed by their choir, conducted by Nicholas Shaw, on 18 October 2023 at Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, London.
HALLELUJAH AMEN OLIVER LEITH
for mixed voices, 10 minutes
Commissioned by Parabola Foundation and performed by EXAUDI, conducted by James Weeks, on 28 February 2024 at Kings Place, London.
Published in the UK by Faber Music.
MAY SONG
LAWRENCE DUNN
for 6 voices and fixed media, 16 minutes
A translation by Lisa Jeschke and Lucy Beynon of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s poem Mailied, set for voice. Commissioned and performed by EXAUDI, conducted by James Weeks, on 22 May 2023 at Milton Court, London.
THE CITY, FULL OF PEOPLE CASSANDRA MILLER
for mixed choir of 16 singers, 16 minutes
Commissioned by Louth Contemporary Music Society with funding provided by the Arts Council of Ireland and Robert D. Bielecki Foundation. Performed by Chamber Choir Ireland, conducted by Paul Hillier, on 27 October 2023 at King’s College Chapel, Aberdeen as part of Aberdeen Sound Festival. Published in the UK by Faber Music.
HANNAH
BENJAMIN EALOVEGA
Roxanna Panufnik is one of the most prominent and prolific contributors to the modern English choral tradition.
Since her reputation was established in 1998 with her Westminster Mass (commissioned by the American-British philanthropist John Studzinski for the seventy-fifth birthday of Cardinal Basil Hume), she has written a large body of work for choirs of all abilities that is noted for its emotional directness, harmonic piquancy and clarity of word-setting. Her work encompasses multiple languages and musical traditions, from the Estonian poetry used in her Tallinn Mass (2011) to the comic setting of Wendy Cope in Two Poems by Wendy (2010) and the Zen-inspired Wild Ways (2007), which includes a Japanese shakuhachi flute alongside a double chorus. Panufnik explains her devotion to choral music quite simply: as a teen, she loved singing in choirs, ‘so I wrote a lot for them’. Today, and as a Patron of the Diamond Fund for Choristers, she hopes to give other children the same opportunity.
Nor is her oeuvre confined to the choir: Panufnik has written three operas (two – Silver Birch (2015–16) and Dalia (2020–21) – with the author and critic Jessica Duchen) as well as many major instrumental works. It is in these in particular that she exercises her wide-ranging interest in world music, which she uses not as a means of exotic colour, but as a basis for seeking communion between faiths and cultures. Her concerto for Tasmin Little, Four World Seasons (2007–11) incorporates music from Albania, Tibet, Japan and India to evoke the four seasons from autumn to summer, while both her violin concerto Abraham (2004) and Songs of Darkness, Dreams of Light (2018) for chorus and orchestra, written for the BBC Last Night of the Proms, join themes from the three Abrahamic religions to, as she puts it, ‘shout from the rooftops the beauty of these different faiths’ music’.
BEST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE COMPOSITION
MITTERNACHTSLIED JULIAN ANDERSON
for soprano and ensemble, 5 minutes
Text by Friedrich Nietzsche. Commissioned by Das Neue Ensemble Hannover and performed by Mimi Doulton and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, conducted by Stephan Meier, on 18 October 2023 at Elgar Concert Hall, Birmingham. Published in the UK by Schott Music.
SONGS OF NADIA ANJUMAN RICHARD BLACKFORD
for soprano and string orchestra, 18 minutes
Setting of five poems by Afghan poet, Nadia Anjuman. Commissioned and performed by Elizabeth Watts and Britten Sinfonia on 14 October 2023 at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden. Published in the UK by Nimbus Music Publishing.
JOHN BATTEN
THE HEARING TRUMPET HILDA PAREDES
for flute, oboe, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, percussion and strings, 18 minutes
Commissioned by Wigmore Hall and performed by Riot Ensemble, conducted by Aaron Holloway-Nahum, on 24 February 2024 at Wigmore Hall, London.
Published in the UK by University of York Music Press.
TOMB! LAURENCE OSBORN
for strings, percussion and piano, 20 minutes
Commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, Cheltenham Festival and Kings Place and performed by 12 Ensemble and GBSR Duo on 19 May 2023 at St Andrew’s Hall, Norwich.
UNDONE SOOSAN LOLAVAR
for solo de-tuned violin and string ensemble, 10 minutes
Commissioned by Riot Ensemble and performed by Sarah Saviet and Ruthless Jabiru, conducted by Kelly Lovelady. Commercially released by nonclassical on 26 January 2024.
congratulates Roxanna Panufnik! Outstanding Works Collection award recipient at The Ivors Classical Awards 2024
And a huge thank you t0 all our contemporary composers for their amazing work.
PERFORMANCE
ERROLLYN WALLEN CELLO CONCERTO
for cello and string orchestra (2007)
opening solo (c. 5mins)
Matthew Sharp, cello
‘Errollyn wrote me this earthy, ethereal and glorious concerto in 2007. What a lucky guy! By that time, we’d known each other for 12 years and had already explored some wild and wonderful musical horizons together. It always felt to me like the radiant and stratospheric extremes of this concerto — and its opening cadenza in particular — were a natural and joyous extension of our friendship and the frontiers beyond which our adventurous spirits had gone and continue to go. Wherever I’ve been fortunate enough to perform this piece, it connects deeply and directly — testament to the wonderful fountainhead of open-hearted creativity, daring and persistence that is my dear friend, Errollyn Wallen.’
Matthew Sharp
‘Virtuoso of the arts’ (The Times), Matthew Sharp, has performed worldwide as solo cellist, baritone, actor and director: solo appearances with the RPO, LPO, RLPO, CBSO; singing principal roles for the Royal Opera House and Opera North; acting principal roles at the Young Vic and National Theatre Studio; directing for the BBC and Opera North. From Glastonbury to Glyndebourne, Sydney Opera House to Wigmore Hall, he has worked with an extraordinary spectrum of leading artists from Sir John Tavener to Marta Eggert to Dave McKean to Caryl Churchill. His own music and theatre works have toured to major festivals globally. He has given over sixty world premieres and recorded for Sony, EMI, Decca, Naxos, Somm, NMC, Avie and Whirlwind.
RAPHAEL KLATZKO
BEST STAGE WORK COMPOSITION
CALLS TO THIS NUMBER ARE BEING DIVERTED MATTHEW GROUSE
music theatre for two soloists and an ensemble of three, 90 minutes
Commissioned by Aarhus Unge Tonekunstnere. Performed by Andreas Borregaard, Anna Jalving, Joss Smith, Hsiao Tung Yuan and Kirstine Elise Pedersen at Teater Refleksion, Aarhus, Denmark and live streamed to UK audiences on 4 February 2024.
ITCH JONATHAN DOVE
opera for a cast of eight singers and twelve players, 100 minutes
Commissioned by James Clutton for Opera Holland Park, with support from the Canadian Opera Company. Libretto by Alasdair Middleton. Performed by the Canadian Opera Company and City of London Sinfonia on 22 July 2023 at Opera Holland Park, London.
Published in the UK by Edition Peters.
PICTURE A DAY LIKE THIS GEORGE BENJAMIN
opera for a cast of five singers and twenty one players, 60 minutes
Co-commissioned and co-produced by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Royal Opera House, London, Opéra national du Rhin, Opéra-Comique, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, Oper Köln and Teatro di San Carlo. Libretto by Martin Crimp. Performed by John Brancy, Beate Mordal, Ema Nikolovska, Cameron Shahbazi and Jacquelyn Stucker, conducted by Corinna Niemeyer, on 24 September 2023 at Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London. Published in the UK by Faber Music.
THE FAGGOTS AND THEIR FRIENDS BETWEEN REVOLUTIONS PHILIP VENABLES
music theatre for fifteen mixed performers, 90 minutes
Commissioned by Factory International, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Bregenzer Festspiele, the Southbank Centre and NYU Skirball in association with Holland Festival. Libretto by Ted Huffman. Performed by an ensemble cast at HOME Theatre, Manchester on 29 June 2023 as part of the Manchester International Festival 2023.
WOMAN AT POINT ZERO BUSHRA EL-TURK
opera for two voices, ancient folk instruments and pre-recorded audio samples, 60 minutes
Commissioned by LOD Muziektheater. Libretto by Stacy Hardy. Performed by Dima Orsho, Carla Nahadi Babelegoto and ensemble ZAR on 28 June 2023 at Linbury Studio Theatre, Royal Opera House, London.
BEST LARGE ENSEMBLE COMPOSITION
POUND OF CURE RYAN LATIMER
for string orchestra, 8 minutes
Commissioned and performed by Britten Sinfonia on 14 October 2023 at Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden.
THE HORSE MATTHEW HERBERT
for orchestra, horse skeleton and electronics, 80 minutes
Performed by Matthew Herbert, Momoko Gill, Hugh Jones, Eoin McCaul, Gracel Delos and the London Contemporary Orchestra on 18 August 2023 at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. Published in the UK by Bucks Music Group.
THE SINGING TREE CHRISTIAN MASON
for five solo voices, children’s choir and ensemble, 40 minutes
Setting text by Paul Griffiths. Commissioned by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, with funds from Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, PRS Foundation, RVW Trust and The Radcliffe Trust. Performed by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and Finchley Children’s Music Group, conducted by Michael Wendeberg, on 12 May 2023 at Birmingham Town Hall.
Published in the UK by Breitkopf & Hartel.
THE STONES IN THE RIVER BY OUR CAMP IN THE FOREST / THE SPACE ON THE GROUND WHERE WE LAY RUFUS ISABEL ELLIOT
for string ensemble, 18 minutes
Commissioned by BBC Radio 3. Performed by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maayan Franco, on 29 April 2023 at the Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow as part of Tectonics 2023.
VIOLA CONCERTO ‘THREE GODDESSES’
EDWARD GREGSON
for viola and string orchestra, 20 minutes
Commissioned by Presteigne Festival, with funds from the Colwinston Charitable Trust. Performed by Rachel Roberts and London Festival Orchestra, conducted by George Vass, on 26 August 2023 at St Andrew’s Church, Presteigne.
Published in the UK by Novello and Co.
A student of philosophy before becoming a jazz bassist (and, in the trio Joseph Holbrooke, with guitarist Derek Bailey and drummer Tony Oxley, helping found the British free improvisation tradition along the way), Gavin Bryars has always viewed ‘composition’ in an extended field.
His first major work, The Sinking of the Titanic (1969), was originally written as a single page of performance suggestions related to the imagined sound of the ship’s string quartet as it sank below the waves. (‘What interested me most’, he later told the critic Paul Griffiths, ‘was the whole network of things capable of becoming compositional material’.) This was followed in 1971 by Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet, based on the looped song of an unknown homeless man. An extended version created in 1993, featuring the voice of Tom Waits, was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize.
Since the release of these two works (as the first disc on Brian Eno’s Obscure Records label), Bryars has written extensively for stage, ballet, film and art gallery, as well as concert hall. His many collaborators have included the director Robert Wilson (the CIVIL warS, 1983–4), the choreographers Merce Cunningham (Biped, 1999) and Edouard Lock (New Work, 2011, 11th Floor, 2014), the artists Juan Muñoz ( A Man in a Room, Gambling, 1992) and Massimo Bartolini (In Là, 2022–3) and the early music groups the Hilliard Ensemble and Fretwork.
This diverse body of work is connected by an ongoing interest in ‘music which refers to other music or to other musical values’, as Bryars once put it; and a fascination with manipulations of time – from the distension of the episcopal hymn ‘Autumn’ in Titanic as it reverberates through the ocean, to the conflicting temporal experiences of his second opera, Doctor Ox’s Experiment (1998), to the construction of A Man in a Room, Gambling as a series of short, unannounced radio broadcasts, inserted like the shipping forecast into regular programming. Always original and experimental, without ever being obscure, it is a unique contribution to British musical life.
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BEST ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION IN ASSOCIATION WITH DORICO
ECHOES
JULIAN ANDERSON
for solo baritone, chorus and orchestra, 11 minutes
Commissioned by Oliver Zeffman for the first major European classical Pride concert. Performed by Davóne Tines, LGBTQ+ Community Choir and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Oliver Zeffman, on 7 July 2023 at Barbican Hall, London.
Published in the UK by Schott Music.
HORN CONCERTO GAVIN HIGGINS
for horn and orchestra, 30 minutes
Commissioned by BBC Radio 3 and Philharmonie Zuidnederland. Performed by Ben Goldscheider and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conducted by Jaime Martin, on 14 January 2024 at Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff.
Published in the UK by Nimbus Music Publishing.
JOHN BATTEN
I CANNOT LOVE WITHOUT TREMBLING CASSANDRA MILLER
for viola and orchestra, 25 minutes
Co-commissioned by BBC Radio 3, Brussels Philharmonic, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, and Scottish Chamber Orchestra, supported by The Viola Commissioning Circle. Performed by Lawrence Power and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, conducted by John Storgårds, on 4 May 2023 at Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh. Published in the UK by Faber Music.
IN SPE CONTRA SPEM BRETT DEAN
for two sopranos and orchestra, 30 minutes
Commissioned by London Philharmonic Orchestra, with the support of the Boltini Trust. Libretto by Matthew Jocelyn. Performed by Emma Bell, Elsa Dreisig and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Edward Gardner, on 26 April 2023 at Royal Festival Hall, London. Published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes.
MOSAICS COLIN MATTHEWS
for orchestra, 24 minutes
Eleven studies for orchestra. Performed by London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by François-Xavier Roth, on 28 May 2023 at Barbican Hall, London.
Published in the UK by Faber Music.
Gavin Higgins
“Poet Nadia Anjuman (1980-2005) was just fifteen years old when the Taliban captured Herat and women’s liberties were drastically reduced. Facing a future with no education Nadia attended a Golden Needle Sewing School, an underground circle for girls where girls could access learning including discussions on literature with Herat professors. The project was dangerous and if caught, the punishment could be imprisonment or hanging. Nadia was 21 when the Taliban was ousted and while earning her degree in literature she published her first book of poetry. She married into a family who believed that, since she was a woman, writing brought disgrace on their reputation and at the age of 25 she was beaten to death by her husband. The five poems I chose and translated cover extremes of emotion: from love; to delight in being a poet; to despair at her lack of freedom; and even contemplation of suicide. The opening poem Turmoil starts with a song of love for the solitude and beauty of the night, then a yearning to be free of earth’s constraints and to be united with God. It concludes with a passionate plea for the power of her own poetry to save her.”
Richard Blackford
“I was born and spent my early life in the Forest of Dean, its mystical magnificence has always influenced my writing. The Horn Concerto is written in E-flat, the key of Horn Concertos by Mozart and Strauss, and I have always believed it is an ancient instrument of the forest; the hunting horn, the Waldhorn, the instrument that can send signals across huge distances, even through dense woodland. My concerto rejoices in the traditional hunting calls and fanfares while in its structure and poetry, the Concerto is also a loving portrait of the forest laid out in a triptych of movements. The first movement, ‘Understorey’ is about the forest floor and the vegetation and animal life which lies low on the ground; the second, ‘Overstorey’, takes us to the heights of the forest canopy and the title of the third, ‘Mycelium Rondo’, makes a nod both to the traditional rondo finale of many a horn concerto from the past, but also to the Mycelium, a miraculous, teeming fungal network which connects trees in the forest, allowing them to communicate and to support each other - the so-called Wood Wide Web.” Gavin Higgins
NMP also publishes Augusta Read Thomas and George Lloyd
Email: publishing@wyastone.co.uk Website: www.wyastone.co.uk Telephone: 01600 890 007
CONGRATULATIONS ERROLLYN WALLEN
The Chineke! Foundation would like to congratulate Errollyn Wallen on her well deserved Ivors Academy Fellowship.
ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP ERROLLYN WALLEN
‘Writing in music is thinking in time’, observes Errollyn Wallen in her memoir, Becoming a Composer. ‘And, often, thinking in public.’ By that reckoning, few composers today can have done quite so much thinking: Wallen is not only an extraordinarily prolific creator (her twenty-two operas is as good a measure as any) but also one of the world’s most performed living composers.
Born in Belize (then British Honduras) but raised from the age of two by an aunt and uncle in Tottenham, she has also become one of Britain’s most visible musicians. Her music has since featured at major national events from the London 2012 Paralympic Games to the COP 26 conference of 2021, and the Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Elizabeth II. In 2013 she became the first female composer to receive an Ivor Novello Award for classical music. It was entirely fitting when, in August this year, she was chosen to succeed Dame Judith Weir as Master of the King’s Music.
But for all this pomp, much of Wallen’s ‘thinking in public’ has involved more personal connections – ‘I love writing music thinking of other people’, she told Radio 4’s Lauren Laverne earlier this year. This applies both to intimate songs, like those on her first album Meet Me at Harold Moores, which embrace her twin loves of Ella Fitzgerald and JS Bach, and to major social statements, such as the oratorio Carbon 12 (2008), on the history of South Wales coal mining, and the orchestral Mighty River, composed in 2007 to mark the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in the British Empire. Perhaps most exemplary is her reimagining of Parry’s Jerusalem for the pandemic-affected 2020 Last Night of the Proms – the famous hymn reframed through the ears of the Windrush generation to highlight the musical connections between Britain and the Commonwealth.
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Tim Rutherford-Johnson for writing our award profiles
Chris Hallett & team at DMCS for our printing
Adapt or Die for our design
We are the Ivors
Academy Trust.
We help composers and songwriters overcome barriers, particularly music creators who are less advantaged.
As a separate, independent charity we rely solely on donations to support our work.
Please donate what you can to help your creative community.
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OFFICERS OF THE IVORS ACADEMY
THE IVORS ACADEMY BOARD
Fiona Bevan • VV Brown (observer) • Rebecca Ferguson
Lea Gatt (shared role) • Tom Gray (Chair) • Eve Horne
Freddie Kofi • Emma McClarkin • Anna Phoebe
Julia Montero (Deputy Chair) • Ailís Ní Ríain • Bankey Ojo
Orphy Robinson (Deputy Chair) • Kevin Sargent • Renell Shaw
Oliver Vibrans (observer) • Olli Wells (shared role)
Imogen Williams • Ayanna Witter-Johnson
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Roberto Neri
THE IVORS ACADEMY SENATE
Iain Archer • Lorne Balfe • Justine Barker • Claire Batchelor
Fiona Bevan • VV Brown • Alexander Campkin • Richard Cassell
Lloyd Coleman • Catherine Anne Davies • Nathan Dearden (observer)
Rebecca Ferguson • Lea Gatt • Mark Gordon • Jake Gosling
Tom Gray (Chair) • Thomas Hewitt Jones • Crispin Hunt
Eve Horne • Marlon James-Edwards • Jin Jin • Ilā Kamalagharan
Melpomeni Kermanidou • Freddie Kofi • Christian McCabe (observer)
Anna Phoebe • Anna Neale • Ailís Ní Ríain • Sandy Nuttgens
Bankey Ojo • Hannah Peel • Lynne Plowman • Orphy Robinson
Kevin Sargent • Mika Sellens • Renell Shaw • Andy Skinner (observer)
Hannah V • Oliver Vibrans • Olli Wells • Imogen Williams
Ayanna Witter-Johnson • Jason Yarde
THE IVORS ACADEMY AWARDS COMMITTEE
Mat Andasun • Iain Archer • Martha Lewis • Anna Phoebe
Sandy Nuttgens • Bankey Ojo • Orphy Robinson (Chair)
Renell Shaw • Imogen Williams
STAFF AT THE IVORS ACADEMY
Chief Executive Officer, Roberto Neri
Chief Operating Officer, Laura Moreno
AWARDS
Director of Awards, Fran Matthews
Senior Awards Manager, Cindy Truong
Awards Manager, Tilly Flynn
Awards Coordinator, Kate Spiers
MEMBERSHIP
Membership and Events Senior Manager, Grace Croucher
Outreach and Relations Manager, Jévis Lawson
Membership Coordinator, Charlie Withers
Membership Councils and Office Coordinator, Will Davenport
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Director of Marketing and Communications, Mark Taylor
Marketing and Communications Manager, Anna Brown
GOVERNANCE & PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Governance and Policy Manager, Maria McMillan
Public Affairs and Campaigns Coordinator, Paul Mortimer
FINANCE & OPERATIONS
Accounts Assistant, Alison Tickner
Executive Personal Assistant to CEO, Amy Leadbetter
The Ivors Classical Awards and Euterpe (The Ivors Statuette, designed in 1955 by Hazel Underwood) are trademarks belonging to the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, trading as The Ivors Academy.
Persons wishing to reproduce or use these marks must secure the written consent of The Ivors Academy prior to use.
Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, The Ivors Academy cannot be liable for errors or omissions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of The Ivors Academy.
22 MAY 2025
GROSVENOR HOUSE LONDON
ENTRIES OPEN 2 DECEMBER 2024
