presented in association with BBC Radio 3 and the Consone Quartet
Winner
(19 to 25 years)
Adam Possener
52°N 20.5°E
Winner
(18 years and under)
Christopher Churcher
Arborescent
Adam Possener and Christopher Churcher heard their pieces premiered by Consone Quartet at All Saints' Church Boughton Aluph, Kent on 24 June as part of Stour Music’s 60th anniversary.
The concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show on Sunday 20 November. Details of the 2023 NCEM Young Composers Award will be announced in the same programme.
The shortlisted pieces
19 t0 25 years
Anna Disley-Simpson
Anfang
Thomas Kettle
Beacon - Hallucination for String Quartet
Adam Possener
52°N 20.5°E
Dominic Wills
Fantasia
18 and under
Phoebe Apfel
Melancholie
Christopher Churcher
Arborescent
Jonathan Love
Seascape
Scott Manson
Theme and Variations
The Award was judged at the National Centre for Early Music on 19 May when the shortlist of entries was performed by Consone Quartet.
The judges were Consone Quartet; Les Pratt, Producer BBC Radio 3; Delma Tomlin, Director of the National Centre for Early Music. Earlier in the day the shortlisted pieces were presented by the Consone Quartet in a workshop with the young composers, led by composer Christopher Fox.
NCEM YOUNG COMPOSERS AWARD 2022
The National Centre for Early Music and BBC Radio 3 invited aspiring young composers to write a new piece for string quartet, working alongside BBC New Generation Artists, the Consone Quartet.
The Award is open to young composers resident in the UK up to the age of 25 and is judged in two age categories: 18 and under, and 19–25.
Consone Quartet
Christopher Fox
The Consone Quartet play ‘period instruments’ using gut strings. They invited young composers to enter into the musical sound world of one of their favourite composers, Fanny Mendelssohn. A talented pianist born at the beginning of the 19th century, Fanny wrote some 400 works but was never offered the acclaim that her brother Felix received.
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.
❝ I have gained confidence in myself. Hearing my piece come to life was an incredible experience ❞
❝ Christopher Fox’s insightful comments, always thinking outside the box ❞
❝ Great contacts and lots of fun! ❞
