presented in association with
BBC Radio 3 and The Marian Consort
NCEM
YOUNG COMPOSERS
AWARD 2027
The National Centre for Early Music and BBC Radio 3 invite you to write a new piece for leading vocal ensemble, The Marian Consort.
The Award is open to young composers resident in the UK up to and including the age of 25, and is judged in two age categories: 18 and under, and 19–25.
You are invited to write a new piece for the award winning vocal ensemble, The Marian Consort. Your piece should be written for up to eight singers - two sopranos, two altos, two tenors and two basses. These can be disposed as 2x SATB choirs or SSAATTBB. You should take as inspiration the striking and innovative music of Portuguese composers from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries such as Manuel Cardoso, Duarte Lobo, Pedro de Cristo, Estêvão Lopes Morago, Manuel Mendes and Filipe de Magalhães. Stylistically, these works are notable for their refined counterpoint, relative brevity and their composers' expressive use of chromaticism/dissonance. The Marian Consort has several recordings of this repertoire, much of which can be found on Spotify or Apple music.
It is recommended that all interested candidates listen to The Marian Consort's (and others'!) various recordings of this repertoire – some of which are noted below:
Morago – Versa est in luctum
D Lobo – Audivi vocem de caelo
Magalhaes – Commissa mea pavesco
Rebelo Panis Angelicus
Morago – Jesu Redemptor
Please see the Terms & Conditions for full details about the music brief, including the duration of your piece, and the text which you should set.
Don’t forget to register by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 February!
Registration closes at 12 noon, Wednesday 3 February 2027, with the deadline for submission of scores on Wednesday 3 March 2027. Shortlisted candidates will be informed during the period of the 15 – 26th of March 2027 and will be invited to attend the Award Day in York on Thursday 29 April. NCEM will provide accommodation and cover appropriate travel costs.
The annual NCEM Young Composers Award was launched in 2008 and is the only such scheme in the UK. It offers a unique opportunity for young composers to engage with the instruments and performance styles of early music, and to work with leading professional early musicians. In bridging the worlds of ‘early’ and ‘new’ music, the Award complements the NCEM’s education policy, to support and nurture young composers and demonstrate to all participants that the music of previous centuries is relevant to today’s creative endeavours.
This year the National Centre for Early Music is working with The Marian Consort. The winning pieces will be premiered by The Gonzaga Band in a public performance as part of the Brighton Early Music Festival in October 2027. This concert will be recorded for future broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show.
How to apply
Application is a two-stage process
Register
Complete the form and submit it by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 February.
When you register you’ll receive a link to the Application form.
Apply
Read the Terms and Conditions for full details of what to write and how to apply. Then complete the Application form, upload your score, and submit it by 12 noon on Wednesday 3 March.
