NCEM announces young composers award winners

The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) has announced the winners of its Young Composers Award, presented in partnership with BBC Radio 3, following a live-streamed final from NCEM's medieval, Grade I listed, church of St Margaret’s in York.

The Award is open to residents of the UK up to the age of 25 and is judged in two age categories. Adam Possener won this year’s 19 - 25 years category with his composition 52°N 20.5° E and Christopher Churcher won in the 18 years and under category with his work, Arborescent. The two winners were chose by a jury of experts including: BBC Radio 3 producer, Les Pratt; former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Consone Quartet and NCEM director, Dr Delma Tomlin MBE.

Tomlin said: ‘Once again, we enjoyed an array of outstanding music at the NCEM and I’d like to congratulate all our composers for their outstanding work.  It was an absolute joy to welcome them to our home at St Margaret’s Church for an incredible day of exploring the world of composition.’

The winning compositions will be premiered by Consone Quartet at Stour Music festival in June and broadcast on BBC Radio 3's Early Music Show. The Quartet play period instruments using gut strings and champion the work of Fanny Mendelssohn.

The eight shortlisted composers attended this month’s Award Day which included the presentation of their compositions by the Quartet as well as a day-long workshop led by Christopher Fox, emeritus professor of music at Brunel University.

BBC Radio 3 controller, Alan Davey, said: ‘Music will only exist as long as young people keep putting their minds and spirits to it and feel compelled to keep creating it - breathing new life into the art form and bringing their own personal insights and approaches. That’s why supporting young composers is one of Radio 3’s main missions’.

You can find out more about the National Centre for Early Music here.

You can find out more about the Young Composers Award here.