Ian Hughes short listed for British Composer Award

The British Academy has announced that Audio Network composer Ian Hughes has been selected as one of the three finalists in the stage works category in this, the first year of the Academy’s British Composer Awards.

Ian was nominated for his ballet, The Mousehole Cat Ballet which premiered in March 2003.

This unique celebration of contemporary music inspired an overwhelming response in excess of 200 musical works. The exceptional quality and range of the original submissions are a tribute to the remarkable creative energy and sheer inspiration of the entrants, all of whom are UK-born, or currently based in the UK and Northern Ireland.

David Bedford, who chaired one of the panels of distinguished judges, said: “As a composer and Chairman of PRS, I welcome wholeheartedly the British Composer Awards as an excellent way of increasing public awareness of the classical composing community; and as chairman of one of the judging panels I was enormously impressed by the excellence of the entries – the range of styles and language was really wide and the names of the composers were a veritable who’s who of the very best we have in the country.”

The names of the composers to be awarded will not be known until the occasion of the British Composer Awards ceremony to be held at the Barbican Centre on 18 December 2003 when the awards will be presented by Sir Andrew Davis. The winning works in each category will not only be marked by a presentation at the ceremony, but will also feature on the BBC Radio 3 programme, Performance on 3, the following evening, 19th December, which will be given over to the Awards. Additionally, the winner of the Award for a Community or Educational project will receive funding from the Performing Right Society Foundation towards a further project in 2004.

The British Composer Awards were created by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters in association with BBC Radio 3 and with sponsorship from the Performing Right Society. The Awards are intended to provide a platform for composing excellence across all classical media, in order to raise the profile of today’s composers.

Sarah Rodgers, the Academy’s chair of concert music, said: “The remarkable standard sustained by this year’s entrants has fulfilled all expectations, and is a tribute to the stunning range of home-grown composing talent.”

The British Composer Awards ceremony on 18th December looks set to be not just one of the most memorable musical events of 2003 but, more than that, a most welcome tribute to Britain’s living composers.

Note to editors:

Further information: Julian Lancaster, 020 7636 2929

www.britishacademy.com/britishcomposerawards

The British Academy of Composers & Songwriters is the UK's recognised professional organisation representing the interests of some 3,000 members across all genres of music.

As well as providing a wide range of services to its members, the Academy actively campaigns and lobbies on cultural, contractual and copyright matters and honours achievement through the annual Ivor Novello Awards, the Gold Badge Awards and the new British Composer Awards.

For further information about the Academy, please visit www.britishacademy.com