PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: TODAY (Friday, September 29) at 3.30pm, at Aberdeen Music Hall – full details below
A global search for aspiring new composers will be launched today (Friday, September 29) as the University of Aberdeen announces the line-up for its unique and international Music Prize Weekend.
The pioneering Music Prize competition, nicknamed ‘Classical Idol’, is presented in association with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. The prize is the centrepiece of a wider celebration of musical creativity featuring a weekend of hands-on events, workshops, rehearsals and concerts. The Music Prize Weekend, which will be held from Friday, April 27, to Sunday, April 29, 2007, encourages involvement with the arts and invites people young and old to find out more about writing music.
The Aberdeen Music Prize itself is the only one of its kind in the world and is dedicated to finding the composers of the future. The competition will run alongside the packed weekend of musical events at the historic King’s College campus and at venues across the city.
The Music Prize, worth £5,000, will be presented to the best composer for String Quartet and will be announced at a gala concert at the end of the weekend of workshops featuring five short-listed composers and members of the BBC SSO. As well as the prize money, the winning composer will be awarded a commission for a full-scale work to be premiered by the BBC SSO and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
Aberdeen’s classical answer to ‘Pop Idol’ was first launched in October 2004, attracting hundreds of entries from all over the world. Organisers of this year’s competition are hoping the standard of entries is equally high.
Dr Paul Mealor, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Music and Director of the University of Aberdeen Music Prize, said: “This unique event catapulted Aberdeen onto the world stage as a centre of creative vision and excellence when it was first launched in 2004. We’re hoping this year’s event attracts as much enthusiasm and interest from composers from every corner of the world.
“The major appeal of a competition of this kind is that it taps into an area that has previously lain undiscovered. Nowhere else in the world does this blend of art and creativity take place. Today’s launch of this hugely successful event will surely underline Aberdeen’s dedication to the arts and reaffirm its commitment to becoming a centre of musical and cultural excellence.”
Gavin Reid, Director of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, said: “The success of the first Aberdeen Music Prize in 2005 means we can develop our collaboration with the University into a whole weekend of musical activity. The BBC SSO has an international reputation for promoting new music, and our aim this year is to further develop the work of young composers, strengthen our close relationship with the University and create greater community involvement with our audiences in Aberdeen.”
The Music Prize Weekend will welcome some of the world’s finest composers and musicians for a programme that includes:
· Concerts with musicians from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
· Outreach workshops for school pupils and teachers
· Workshops for members of the public with musicians from the BBC SSO
· Roundtable discussions for members of the public to learn more about composition
· Concerts and recitals featuring new pieces by some of the UK's most distinguished and exciting composers
· A gala performance of short-listed competition scores where the winner will be announced at a classical-idol-style Festival
The University of Aberdeen Music Prize has secured the support of the one of the world’s most celebrated musicians and University of Aberdeen Honorary Graduate, Evelyn Glennie, OBE, who has come on board as Patron again this year.
Since the successful inaugural Music Prize, it has already become one of the most important musical events in the UK and in the world. Organisers are expecting upwards of 5,000 people to attend the April 2007 Music Prize Weekend.
“The Music Prize Weekend is set to be even bigger this time with more events and a varied programme for all ages and interests, which will create a great buzz across the whole city,” added Dr Mealor.
“Many young composers will be flocking to Aberdeen to join in this celebration of creativity. The Music Prize Weekend is a unique opportunity for members of the public to participate in hands-on workshops, rehearsals and discussion groups with some of the world’s leading classical musicians and to meet budding new composers from all over the world.”
· The Aberdeen Music Prize launches at a concert tonight by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra at the Music Hall, Aberdeen. The opening concert in the BBC SSO’s autumn concert series, themed ‘Heroes and Legends’, acclaimed Russian maestro Vassily Sinaisky conducts Mahler’s First Symphony, “Titan”; the composer’s early portrait of the romantic hero.