The Stage

BBC young composers’ competition opens for applications

Published Wednesday 6 January 2010 at 17:25 by Matthew Hemley

Young musicians aged between 12 and 18 are being invited to enter the BBC Proms Young Composers’ Competition, which is now in its 12th year.

The competition will give the winners a BBC commission and see their work performed by professional musicians.

Last year’s winners wrote pieces for the Last Night of the Proms, although details of the 2010 commissions have yet to be announced.

Entries to the competition will be judged by a panel of composers from a variety of musical fields, and composers have until May 28 to submit their entries.

The BBC is also calling for young composers to sign up for its Composer Labs, which aim to give young talent across the UK the opportunity to explore new ways of composing and get a taste of what it means to be a composer in the 21st century.

The Composer Labs take place in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Truro between February 7 and April 11.

For the first time, an online version of a Composer Lab will also be made available from April. This will include footage from the various Labs, recommendations and tips.

Roger Wright, BBC Proms director and Radio 3 controller, said: “The BBC remains one of the world’s leading commissioners of new music in the world and it is important to provide high-level support to the next generation of talent. Through both the Young Composers’ Competition and the Composer Labs around the UK we aim to help the broadest range of young composers around the UK to gain skills and confidence in expressing themselves through music and also to provide a rich set of opportunities to the young composers of the future.”

Full information about the competition and the Composer Labs can be found at bbc.co.uk/proms.