Masterprize International Composing Competition
Masterprize International Composing Competition, informally known as Masterprize, was an international composing competition founded in April 1996 by author, investment banker and former diplomat, John McLaren.[2][4] The brief for the inaugural competition was "to find new and original works for symphony orchestra with artistic integrity with the potential for broad and lasting appeal".[1] Additional specifications were that the compositional entry should be of a duration of 8 to 12 minutes and that composers could be of any age or nationality.[6] For the 2001 competition, the submitted works had to have been scored for orchestral forces of between 50 and 90 players and have a duration of between 6 and 15 minutes.[7] Composers who were awarded first place received a monetary prize of either £25,000 for the 1998 competition, or £30,000 for the 2001 and 2003 competitions, respectively.[3][4][5]
Masterprize International Composing Competition | |
---|---|
Awarded for | Orchestral composition |
Sponsored by | Coutts & Co. (for 1998)[1] |
Date | April 1996[2] |
Venue | Barbican Centre, London[3] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Reward(s) | GBP £25,000 (in 1998)[4] GBP £30,000 (in 2001)[2][5] GBP £30,000 (in 2003)[3] |
First awarded | 1998 |
Last awarded | 2003 |
Website | https://www.masterprize.com |
The first Masterprize competition which culminated in 1998 was supported by significant institutions, such as the European Broadcasting Union,[8] the BBC orchestras, BBC Radio 3, EMI Records, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Music Magazine and the Worshipful Company of Musicians.[9] The final round of the competition was held at the Barbican on 7 April 1998[1] where the London Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding performed the six finalist works in full.[10] The gala concert was attended by Cherie Blair who presented the winning composers with their prizes.[9]
Prize winners
Masterprize Winners and Finalists | ||||||||
Year | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Other finalists | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2003 | Christopher Theofanidis[11] | — | Nicolas Bacri[12] | Bechara El-Khoury[13] | Robert Henderson[14] | Arturs Maskats[15] | De:Anton Plate[16] | |
2001 | Pierre Jalbert[17] | — | Qigang Chen[17] | Alistair King[17] | Anthony Iannaccone[17] | Carter Pann[17] | — | |
1998 | Andrew March[18] | Victoria Borisova-Ollas[19] | It:Daniele Gasparini[20] | Stephen Hartke[21] | Zhou Long[21] | Carl Vine[21] | — |
References
- Anderson, Martin (1998). "The Masterprize Final". Tempo. Cambridge University Press (205): 16–17. JSTOR 944752. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- "Masterprize international composing competition 2000 - 2001". masterprize.com. Masterprize. 8 May 2000. Archived from the original on 8 April 2000.
- "Write a Masterpiece and Win a Masterprize". sequenza21.com. Sequenza21. 25 November 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
The winner will receive a cash prize of £30,000.
- Austin, Sara. "Masterprize International Composition Competition" (PDF). University of Rochester. Forum of the Symphony Orchestra Institute. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- "Academic wins £30,000 music prize". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 11 October 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- American Composers Forum (1997). Sounding Board. Vol. v. 24. p. 8. LCCN sn96044497.
- "Masterprize". BBC World Service. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- Clements, Andrew (6 October 2001). "New tunes and prizes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
...or have heard the works broadcast by the BBC and other members of the European Broadcasting Union to determine the winner.
- Dam, Julie K.L. " The Prize Is Right", Time (magazine), 20 April 1998. Retrieved on 13 October 2021.
- Henken, John (7 April 1998). "Composers' Eyes on Masterprize". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
The winner will be announced today at a gala concert in London of all six finalists, again played by Harding and the LSO.
- Druckenbrod, Andrew (15 February 2007). "Concert Preview: Theofanidis' 'Rainbow Body' is a hit with orchestras". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- Picard, Anna (9 November 2003). "Short-changed: an evening of brows worn at the waist". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
- Hewett, Ivan (3 November 2003). "As hopeless as the others". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
In the case of the French-Lebanese composer Bechara El Khoury, the theme was mankind's ascent from strife and confusion to hope.
- Brown, Geoff (1 November 2003). "Masterprize Final". The Times. London. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
As with the other American entry, Robert Henderson's Einstein's Violin (a scherzo that went nowhere fast, very fast),...
- Clements, Andrew (12 October 2001). "Masterprize final". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- Anderson, Martin (April 2004). "London, Barbican: Masterprize Final". Tempo. 58 (228): 63–64. JSTOR 3878937. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
You Must Finish Your Journey Alone by Anton Plate (Germany, b. 1950).
- Clements, Andrew (12 October 2001). "Masterprize 2001 final". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- Pettitt, Stephen (12 April 1998). "Taste of Things to Come – New music has no platform than Masterprize". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2006.
- Richards, Guy (January 2009). "CD Reviews". Tempo. 63 (247): 73–80. doi:10.1017/S0040298209000072. JSTOR 40072907.
Victoria Borisova-Ollas (b. 1969) first came to international prominence when her short symphonic poem Wings of the Wind (1997) took 2nd Prize in the 1998 International Masterprize Competition.
- "Music: Masters of the ceremony". The Independent. 9 April 1998. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- "Gramophone – The Finalists of Masterprize '98". gramophone.co.uk. February 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2021.