Nominees announced for 2023 Ivors Classical Awards

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The Ivors Academy has announced its nominees for the Ivors Classical Awards 2023 edition. The winners will be revealed at an evening awards ceremony on 14 November at BFI Southbank in London.

34 composers have been nominated for 11 Ivor Novello Awards up for grabs across eight category winners. Three Gift of the Academy Awards will be given, one of which will go to John Rutter CBE, who will be awarded the Academy Fellowship, the highest honour bestowed by The Ivors Academy.

Among the composers nominated are Thomas Adès, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Joby Talbot. Brett Dean is nominated twice - both in the orchestral composition category, for his cello concerto and work for symphony orchestra and double SATB choir. Additionally, Brian Irvine and Hannah Kendall are both double nominees - Irvine nominated twice in the stage work category, while Kendall is nominated in the chamber ensemble and large ensemble categories.

Nearly half of the shortlist are first-time nominees, including Jasdeep Singh Degun, Simon Knighton, Angela Elizabeth Slater and Dobrinka Tabakova.

The works were judged blind by a jury of 40 composer judges, who nominated between three and five works for each category.

’The Ivors Classical Awards celebrate the very best new compositions and this year’s nominations are no exception,’ said Tom Gray, chair of The Ivors Academy. ’From first-time nominees to Ivor Novello Award winning composers, the shortlist showcases a remarkable diversity of talent and creativity, reflecting the vibrancy and innovation of contemporary classical music.’

BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the ceremony on 18 November in a special edition of the New Music Show and the episode will also be available on BBC Sounds. The Ivors Classical Awards are supported by PRS for Music.

The full list of nominees are as follows: 

1­­. BEST CHAMBER ENSEMBLE COMPOSITION

Celebrating classical works composed for four to eighteen instruments, and for one instrument or voice per part.

DISCO! DISCO! GOOD! GOOD? composed by Jasper Dommett

for chamber ensemble

 

EVEN SWEETNESS CAN SCRATCH THE THROAT composed by Hannah Kendall

for chamber ensemble

published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing

 

NÖVÉNYEK composed by Thomas Adès

for mezzo-soprano and piano sextet

published in the UK by Faber Music Ltd

 

STAGGERED NOCTURNE composed by Luke Bedford

for 14 players and percussion soloist

published in the UK by Universal Edition

 

WHY DO YOU GRIEVE composed by William Marsey

for chamber ensemble

 

2. BEST CHORAL COMPOSITION

Celebrating classical works specifically composed for voices; either a capella or accompanied. 

KISHTATOS | קישתתוס composed by Omri Kochavi

for 18 voices

 

LANDSCAPE composed by Naomi Pinnock

for 6 solo voices

 

SOL composed by Ben Nobuto

for SATB vocal ensemble

 

3. BEST COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATION COMPOSITION in association with ABRSM

Celebrating works composed for voluntary, amateur or youth performers and/or community engagement. 

ESTUARY SOUND ARK composed by Matthew Herbert

community project involving young participants; Amy Rose Bryan, Chelsea Joseph, Emily Brewster, Esther-Olivia Odesanmi, Joe Holland, Naomi Rosser, Oliver Starling and Skye Maskell, and sounds collected by the local community in South Essex and North Kent.

published in the UK by Bucks Music Group Ltd

 

HEROES composed by Harry Castle

for chamber orchestra, SATB choir and soprano and baritone soloists

 

IT TAKES A CITY composed by Toby Young

opera for youth and adult community choirs and professional orchestra, with libretto by Sayan Kent

 

SWARM FANFARES composed by Dobrinka Tabakova

for youth orchestra

published in the UK by Valonius Press-Schott Music Limited

 

TOGETHER AND APART composed by Ned Bigham

for youth orchestra and choir

 

 

4. BEST LARGE ENSEMBLE COMPOSITION

Celebrating classical works composed for up to 36 players. 

ANTIGONE: PURE IN HER CRIME composed by Athanasia Kontou

for chamber orchestra and mezzo-soprano

 

ILOLLI-POP composed by Alex Paxton

for ensemble and improvising soloist

published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing

 

KA composed by Bushra El-Turk

for percussion soloist and string orchestra

 

SHOUTING FOREVER INTO THE RECEIVER composed by Hannah Kendall

for 17 players

published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing

 

THROUGH THE FADING HOUR composed by Angela Elizabeth Slater

for chamber orchestra

 

5. BEST ORCHESTRAL COMPOSITION

Celebrating large symphonic works, including works for choir and orchestra. 

ARCHORA composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir

for symphony orchestra

published in the UK by Chester Music Ltd

 

CELLO CONCERTO composed by Brett Dean

for symphony orchestra and solo cello

published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd 

 

ELLIPTICS composed by Emily Howard

for orchestra, soprano and countertenor

published in the UK by Peters Edition Ltd

 

IN THIS BRIEF MOMENT composed by Brett Dean

for symphony orchestra and double SATB chorus

published in the UK by Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd

 

SOUND SCULPTURE NO. 7 composed by Simon Knighton

for orchestra

 

6. BEST SMALL CHAMBER COMPOSITION

Celebrating classical works composed for one to three instruments, and for one instrument or voice per part. 

ANSWER MACHINE TAPE, 1987 composed by Philip Venables

for solo piano with amplification and KeyScanner device, projection and recorded sound

published in the UK by G Ricordi, Universal Music Publishing

 

COMME L’ESPOIR/YOU MIGHT ALL DISAPPEAR composed by Josephine Stephenson

for soprano and guitar

published in the UK by Éditions Alphonse Leduc

 

CROW ROTATIONS composed by Larry Goves

for soprano, flute/alto flute, alto saxophone, cello and electronics

 

SILBERBLAU composed by Matthew Grouse

for guitar and electronics

 

THE BOOK OF THE SEDIMENTS composed by Newton Armstrong

for soprano and electronic sounds 

 

7. BEST SOUND ART

Celebrating non concert format works which use sound as both their medium and their subject, including installations, sculptural, electroacoustic and audience interactive pieces.

LOL by Olivia Louvel

a site-specific sonic intervention delivered through the public address system of Middlesbrough’s CCTV surveillance network, reflecting the current state of political affairs in Britain, produced with Sound Art Brighton

 

MACHAIR by Duncan MacLeod

acousmatic soundwalk exploring the traditions and ecology of Uist’s machair on the Isle of Benbecula

 

RITES FOR CROSSING WATER by Hugh Crewdson Jones and Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian

outdoor installation, augmented reality book and EP built around instructional texts, imagined as folklore for the future

 

8. BEST STAGE WORK

Celebrating works composed for the stage, including opera, dance and musical theatre. 

LEAST LIKE THE OTHER: SEARCHING FOR ROSEMARY KENNEDY composed by Brian Irvine

opera in one act, for soprano, two actors and two opposing ensembles

 

LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE composed by Joby Talbot

ballet in three acts

published in the UK by Chester Music Ltd

 

ORPHEUS composed by Jasdeep Singh Degun

opera in five acts, for Indian classical continuo and Baroque continuo

 

THE SCORCHED EARTH TRILOGY composed by Brian Irvine

three projected street art operas with libretto by John McIlduff

 

VIOLET composed by Tom Coult

opera in one act with libretto by Alice Birch

published in the UK by Faber Music Ltd