The nominees for the British Composer Awards 2017 have been announced, with Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian, Sally Beamish and Emily Peasgood leading with two nominations each.
Presented by BASCA and sponsored by PRS for Music, this year is the second time the entries were judged anonymously, with the exception of the Community or Educational Project, Sonic Art and Stage Works categories where the presence of the composer is integral to the performance.
Works could also be submitted by the composers themselves which contributed to a record number of entries, up 18.5 percent from 2016.
This year's nominations show how contemporary composers are using music to engage in current affairs, from a community project exploring the refugee crisis to a piece examining perceptions of women through the metaphor of birds.
Crispin Hunt, chairman at BASCA, said: 'Britain is home to a flourishing and bold community of enlightened and reformist contemporary composers, whose work continues to accelerate music’s role in society.
'It’s inspiring to note a significant uplift in submissions this year, especially to see so many first-time nominees and young composers shortlisted – further testimony to the pioneering musical spirit of today.'
Half of the composers are first-time nominees, while high-profile names include the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Sally Beamish and Laurence Crane.
The number of young and female composers both increased: nearly half the nominees are aged under 40 and women make up 42 percent of the shortlist.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum on 6 December, presented by BBC Radio 3's Andrew McGregor and Sara Mohr-Pietsch.
The full shortlist is as follows:
Amateur or Young Performers
The Feast That Went Off With A Bang by Ed Hughes
The Hogboon by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Who We Are by Kerry Andrew
Chamber Ensemble
Khadambi’s House by Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
Skin by Rebecca Saunders
The wreck of former boundaries by Aaron Cassidy
Choral
Affix Stamp Here by Leo Chadburn
Proclamation of the Republic by Andrew Hamilton
The Temptations of Christ by Barnaby Martin
Community or Educational Project
Anything but Bland by Brian Irvine
BIRDS and other Stories by Emily Peasgood
Crossing Over by Emily Peasgood
Contemporary Jazz Composition
Loop Concerto for jazz trio & large ensemble by Benjamin Oliver
Muted Lines by Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
You Are My World by Robert Mitchell
Orchestral
Forest by Tansy Davies
Torus (Concerto for Orchestra) by Emily Howard
Two Eardley Pictures by Helen Grime
Small Chamber
In Feyre Foreste by Robin Haigh
Omloop Het Ives by Laurence Crane
Tuvan Songbook by Christian Mason
Solo or Duo
Inside Colour by Deborah Pritchard
Merula Perpetua by Sally Beamish
Piano Sonata No. 2 by Stuart MacRae
Sonic Art
cloud-cuckoo-island by Hanna Tuulikki
Luminous Birds by Kathy Hinde
Untitled Valley of Fear by Sam Salem
Stage Works
4.48 Psychosis by Philip Venables
Empty Hand, Peaceful Mind by Ben Gaunt
The Tempest by Sally Beamish
Wind Band or Brass Band
Anemoi by Joseph Davies
Four Études by Edward Gregson
In Ictu Oculi by Kenneth Hesketh
Presented by BASCA and sponsored by PRS for Music, this year is the second time the entries were judged anonymously, with the exception of the Community or Educational Project, Sonic Art and Stage Works categories where the presence of the composer is integral to the performance.
Works could also be submitted by the composers themselves which contributed to a record number of entries, up 18.5 percent from 2016.
This year's nominations show how contemporary composers are using music to engage in current affairs, from a community project exploring the refugee crisis to a piece examining perceptions of women through the metaphor of birds.
Crispin Hunt, chairman at BASCA, said: 'Britain is home to a flourishing and bold community of enlightened and reformist contemporary composers, whose work continues to accelerate music’s role in society.
'It’s inspiring to note a significant uplift in submissions this year, especially to see so many first-time nominees and young composers shortlisted – further testimony to the pioneering musical spirit of today.'
Half of the composers are first-time nominees, while high-profile names include the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Sally Beamish and Laurence Crane.
The number of young and female composers both increased: nearly half the nominees are aged under 40 and women make up 42 percent of the shortlist.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the British Museum on 6 December, presented by BBC Radio 3's Andrew McGregor and Sara Mohr-Pietsch.
The full shortlist is as follows:
Amateur or Young Performers
The Feast That Went Off With A Bang by Ed Hughes
The Hogboon by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Who We Are by Kerry Andrew
Chamber Ensemble
Khadambi’s House by Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
Skin by Rebecca Saunders
The wreck of former boundaries by Aaron Cassidy
Choral
Affix Stamp Here by Leo Chadburn
Proclamation of the Republic by Andrew Hamilton
The Temptations of Christ by Barnaby Martin
Community or Educational Project
Anything but Bland by Brian Irvine
BIRDS and other Stories by Emily Peasgood
Crossing Over by Emily Peasgood
Contemporary Jazz Composition
Loop Concerto for jazz trio & large ensemble by Benjamin Oliver
Muted Lines by Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
You Are My World by Robert Mitchell
Orchestral
Forest by Tansy Davies
Torus (Concerto for Orchestra) by Emily Howard
Two Eardley Pictures by Helen Grime
Small Chamber
In Feyre Foreste by Robin Haigh
Omloop Het Ives by Laurence Crane
Tuvan Songbook by Christian Mason
Solo or Duo
Inside Colour by Deborah Pritchard
Merula Perpetua by Sally Beamish
Piano Sonata No. 2 by Stuart MacRae
Sonic Art
cloud-cuckoo-island by Hanna Tuulikki
Luminous Birds by Kathy Hinde
Untitled Valley of Fear by Sam Salem
Stage Works
4.48 Psychosis by Philip Venables
Empty Hand, Peaceful Mind by Ben Gaunt
The Tempest by Sally Beamish
Wind Band or Brass Band
Anemoi by Joseph Davies
Four Études by Edward Gregson
In Ictu Oculi by Kenneth Hesketh
