Guildhall alumni and staff nominated for prestigious composer awards

Guildhall staff and alumni composers are among the nominees at two of this year’s most prestigious composer awards, the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards, and The Ivors Composer Awards (formerly the British Composer Awards).

At the RPS Awards, the Chamber-scale composition category has seen Composer in Residence Professor Julian Anderson nominated for String Quartet No. 3 and alumna Tansy Davies (Composition 1998) nominated for Cave. Harpsichord professor Mahan Esfahani is also nominated in the Instrumentalist category.

Previously known as the British Composer Awards, The Ivors Composer Awards also seen a number of Guildhall composers among the nominees.

Guildhall alumnae Tansy Davies and Hilda Paredes are both nominated in the Stage Works category; Davies for Cave, and Paredes for Harriet (‘Scenes in the life of Harriet Tubman’).

Never Again by Emily Peasgood (Vocal Studies 2003) is nominated in the Community or Educational Project category. This Much I Know Is True by jazz professor Mark Lockheart is nominated in the Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble category.

Professor Julian Anderson’s String Quartet No. 3 is also nominated here in the Small Chamber category, while a piece performed by and commissioned for Mahan Esfahani is among the nominees in the Chamber Ensemble category – Mondrian, composed by Gary Carpenter.

The winners of the RPS Awards will be announced on Thursday 28 November 2019. The Ivors Composer Awards will take place at the British Museum on Wednesday 4 December 2019.