| 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 | GBP £25,000 (in 1998) [4] GBP £30,000 (in 2001) [2] [5] GBP £30,000 (in 2003) [3] |
| Established | Founded by John McLaren [6] |
| First award | 1998 |
| Final award | 2003 |
| Website | https://www.masterprize.com  |
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. [7] 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. [8] 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]
The first Masterprize competition which culminated in 1998 was supported by significant institutions, such as the European Broadcasting Union, [9] the BBC orchestras, BBC Radio 3, EMI Records, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Music Magazine and the Worshipful Company of Musicians. [10] 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. [11] The gala concert was attended by Cherie Blair who presented the winning composers with their prizes. [10]
