NCEM reveals Young Composers Award winners

The National Centre for Early Music has announced the winners of the 2024 edition of its Young Composers Award. At an award ceremony held on 16 May, Ryan Collis was awarded the top prize in the 19 to 25 years category and Charlotte Robertson won in the 18 years and under category.

Each competing composer created a new work for The Tallis Scholars setting the 16^th century text ‘Mirabile mysterium’ (A wondrous mystery) for unaccompanied voices. Collis’s work, Lux Divinae, and  Robertson’s A wonderous mystery were chosen by a jury including BBC Radio 3 producer Les Pratt, Tallis Scholars director Peter Phillips and NCEM director Delma Tomlin.

Tomlin said: ‘An annual event on the NCEM’s busy calendar, The Young Composers Award is becoming increasingly popular with aspiring young composers and recognised as an important landmark in their careers. It was wonderful to welcome these talented young people to York for a day sharing music and ideas at the NCEM’s home, St Margaret’s Church.’

For the competition’s final round, York-based ensemble Ex Corde and director Paul Gameson performed the works submitted by the eight finalists after a day of workshopping with the young composers and Tallis Scholars director Peter Phillips. The performance, which was livestreamed, is available on the competition website.

A wonderous mystery Charlotte Robertson and Lux Divinae by Ryan Collis will be premiered by The Tallis Scholars at Saffron Hall on 20 October. As competition partners, BBC Radio 3 will record the performances for later broadcast on the Early Music Show.