Masterprize International Composing Competition

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Masterprize International Composing Competition
Awarded forOrchestral composition
Sponsored by Coutts & Co. (for 1998) [1]
DateApril 1996 (1996-04) [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 awarded1998
Last awarded2003
Website https://www.masterprize.com   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

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]

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
Year1st2nd3rdOther finalists
2003 Flag of the United States.svg Christopher Theofanidis [11] Flag of France.svg Nicolas Bacri [12] Flag of France.svg Flag of Lebanon.svg Bechara El-Khoury [13] Flag of the United States.svg Robert Henderson [14] Flag of Latvia.svg Arturs Maskats [15] Flag of Germany.svg De:Anton Plate [16]
2001 Flag of the United States.svg Pierre Jalbert [17] Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Flag of France.svg Qigang Chen [17] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Alistair King [17] Flag of the United States.svg Anthony Iannaccone [17] Flag of the United States.svg Carter Pann [17]
1998 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Andrew March [18] Flag of Russia.svg Flag of Sweden.svg Victoria Borisova-Ollas [19] Flag of Italy.svg It:Daniele Gasparini [20] Flag of the United States.svg Stephen Hartke [21] Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Flag of the United States.svg Zhou Long [21] Flag of Australia (converted).svg Carl Vine [21]

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References

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  3. 1 2 3 "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.
  4. 1 2 3 Austin, Sara. "Masterprize International Composition Competition" (PDF). University of Rochester. Forum of the Symphony Orchestra Institute. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Academic wins £30,000 music prize". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 11 October 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. American Composers Forum (1997). Sounding Board. Vol. v. 24. p. 8. LCCN   sn96044497.
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  8. 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.
  9. 1 2 Dam, Julie K.L. " The Prize Is Right", Time (magazine) , 20 April 1998. Retrieved on 13 October 2021.
  10. 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.
  11. Druckenbrod, Andrew (15 February 2007). "Concert Preview: Theofanidis' 'Rainbow Body' is a hit with orchestras". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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),...
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  16. Anderson, Martin (April 2004). "London, Barbican: Masterprize Final". Tempo. 58 (228): 63–64. doi:10.1017/S0040298204260156. JSTOR   3878937 . Retrieved 12 October 2021. You Must Finish Your Journey Alone by Anton Plate (Germany, b. 1950).
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  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. "Music: Masters of the ceremony" . The Independent . 9 April 1998. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 "Gramophone – The Finalists of Masterprize '98". gramophone.co.uk. February 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2021.