Shortlist for Scottish Awards for New Music revealed

New Music Scotland (NMS) has announced the shortlist of nominees for the 2021 Scottish Awards for New Music.

They are: 

Good Spirits Co Award for Innovation in New Traditional Music

• My Light Shines On: Aidan O’Rourke with Brìghde Chaimbeul, Bashir Saade, Rachel Sermani and Graeme Stephen/Edinburgh International Festival
• The Declaration: GRIT Orchestra
• Down the Line: Alastair Savage and Charli Ashton

Award for Large Scale New Work (11+ performers), sponsored by PRS for Music

• Above the Stars: Aileen Sweeney
• Pharmakeia: James Dillon
• This Departing Landscape: Martin Suckling
• Night Thoughts: Matthew Whiteside
• Vigil I: Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade

Mark McKergow Award for Innovation in Jazz

• Corto Alto: Liam Shortall
• Deepening the River: Paul Towndrow
• Playtime

Award for Installation/Sound Art/Electroacoustic New Work

• Be Mine in Patience: an embrace in B Minor – Michael Begg
• Cheap Emotions: Darlene Zarabozo
• Stolen Voices: Rebecca Collins
• these bones, this flesh, this skin: Martin Suckling with Joan Clevillé and Genevieve Reeves

The ISM Award for New Music in Covid Times

• Distant Duets: Drake Music Scotland/Tinderbox Collective
• Be Mine in Patience: an embrace in B minor – Michael Begg
• Lochan Sketches: Nevis Ensemble
• Covid-19 Sound Map: Pete Stollery

Award for Environmental Sustainability

• Let Them Not Say: Chris Hutchings/Choirs for Climate
• Lochan Sketches: Nevis Ensemble
• Scottish Classical Sustainability Group: Nevis Ensemble/Scottish Ensemble/various

Award for the Recording of New Music sponsored by VoxCarynx

• Erocean: LivMassive and Hessian Renegade
• The Night With… Live Vol. 1
• Letters: David Fennessy
• From Ocean’s Floor: Linda Buckley

The Dorico Award for Small/Medium Scale Work, sponsored by Steinberg

• Reflecting Instruments: David Horne
• High Energy Music: Nora Marazaite
• Archipelago: transmissions between islands – Lisa Robertson
• Plastica: Edwin Hillier

The Dorico Award for Solo Work, sponsored by Steinberg.

• Skydance: Ailie Robertson
• Her Lullaby: Martin Suckling
• Curious-er: Sonia Allori
• Omanjana: Simon Thacker

The SMIA Award for Creative Programming

• Sonic Bites: Cryptic
• Breathe and Draw: Nevis Ensemble/Alex Ho
• Sound Festival 2020: Sound Scotland
• 2020 programme: Scottish Ensemble

The RCS Award for Education/Community Project

• StAMP: Wallace Collection/St Andrew’s University
• Intersections: Exploration 2020
• Sonic Bothy

Award for New Music in Media

• The Trial of Alex Salmond: Francis Macdonald
• Sayo: Luci Holland
• Henry Glassie Field Work: Linda Buckley

The RCS Award for Making It Happen

• Aileen Sweeney and Ben Eames: Ear to the Ground
• Ollie Hawker: The Owen Wilson Elegies
• Rufus Isabel Eliot: OVER / AT

Andy Saunders, co-chair of New Music Scotland, said: 'The variety and number of works and projects nominated this year was incredibly impressive, given the situation that the music world has faced over the last year.

'There were some stunningly creative ideas, and a consistently high level of artistic integrity within the nominations. To see that so much brilliant music making was going on is nothing short of inspirational.'

The Awards are created by New Music Scotland. Award sponsors include Dorico Steinberg, PRS for Music, The Good Spirits Co, Mark McKergow, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, the Scottish Music Industry Association, and the Musicians’ Union.

www.newmusicscotland.co.uk/awards2021/