Posted: 27 September 2000
This year's Alan Bush Composition Prize has been awarded to Tim Smith, a first-year undergraduate, studying with Paul Patterson, for his composition "To Find Trees and Stars", a quintet for clarinet, piano, violin, cello and viola. The adjudicator was Julian Anderson, who commented on the attractiveness and imaginative nature of the piece, well scored and timed for the instruments involved.
This year's runner-up was Jonathan Pitkin, who has just completed the first year of a post-graduate course, for his composition Trejectory, for oboe and piano. Jonathan is studying with Christopher Brown. One of his earlier compositions has been played by the Philharmonia Orchestra, in the "Music of Today" series.
The Trust offers its warmest congratulations to both these young composers and is delighted to announce that this year's winning work will be performed at a memorial concert of works by Alan Bush at the Royal Academy of Music on Wednesday 8th November 2000 at 7.30 pm.
The prize of £500 is awarded annually from an endowment established in 1999 by the Alan Bush Music Trust in memory of Alan Bush, who was both a student and eminent Professor of Composition for 53 years at the Royal Academy of Music, London.
The prize, open to students of Composition at the Royal Academy of Music, is awarded as a result of competition to the composer who submits the best "serious" work in chamber music for up to seven instruments of the candidate's choice, which may include voice(s) but must include a substantial piano part.
Last year's competition, was won by Maciej Zielinski (born in Warsaw in 1971) for his composition Lutoslawski in Memoriam for oboe and piano. Christopher Slaski, the runner-up, was highly commended for his composition Variants for Piano Quartet.