Masterprize International Composing Competition

Masterprize International Composing Competition
Awarded forOrchestral composition
Sponsored byCoutts & Co. (for 1998)
DateApril 1996 (1996-04)
VenueBarbican Centre, London
CountryUnited Kingdom
RewardGBP £25,000 (in 1998)
GBP £30,000 (in 2001)
GBP £30,000 (in 2003)
EstablishedFounded by John McLaren
First award1998
Final award2003
Websitehttps://www.masterprize.com Edit this on Wikidata

The Masterprize International Composing Competition, informally known as Masterprize, was a prominent international classical music award dedicated to new symphonic composition. Founded in April 1996 by British author, investment banker and former diplomat, John McLaren, the competition was established to address a perceived aesthetic divide, as he had become 'distressed' over a long period about the 'rift' between modern composers, orchestras, programmes, broadcasters and audiences.

The brief for the inaugural competition was "to find new and original works for symphony orchestra with artistic integrity with the potential for broad and lasting appeal". Additional specifications were that the compositional entry should be of a duration of 8 to 12 minutes and that composers could be of any age or nationality. For the 2001 competition, the submitted works had to have been scored for orchestral forces of between 50 and 90 players and have a duration of between 6 and 15 minutes. Composers who were awarded first place received a monetary prize of either £25,000 for the 1998 competition, or £30,000 for the 2001 and 2003 competitions, respectively.

The first Masterprize competition which culminated in 1998 was supported by significant institutions, such as the European Broadcasting Union, the BBC orchestras, BBC Radio 3, EMI Records, the London Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Music Magazine and the Worshipful Company of Musicians. An initial shortlist of 15 selected works was recorded and broadcast by the BBC's orchestras on Radio 3, from which the final six compositions were chosen. The final round of the competition was held at the Barbican on 7 April 1998 where the London Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding performed the six finalist works in full. The gala concert was attended by Cherie Blair who presented the winning composers with their prizes.

Backing and legacy

The competition was a high-profile promotional and broadcasting initiative backed by major cultural institutions, including the BBC World Service, BBC Radio 3, the BBC Music Magazine, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), EMI Classics, and Gramophone magazine. In later cycles, Classic FM became a primary partner alongside National Public Radio in the United States. Finalists frequently had their works recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra and broadcast globally.

Defending the competition's structure, Masterprize founder John McLaren argued that contemporary composers too often laboured under the "myth... that no composer can expect to be appreciated in his lifetime." McLaren emphasised that the core philosophy of Masterprize relied on the benchmark of wide appeal, with 50 per cent of the total vote originating from "knowledgeable listener[s]" rather than a panel of academic experts. He noted that the competition did not explicitly mandate specific genres, tonalities, or harmonic structures, stating that "eventually the measure of it has to be: does anybody like it."

While the competition successfully achieved high levels of public engagement, its outcomes drew mixed reactions from music critics. Reviewers argued that the democratised voting system inherently favoured more traditionally tonal and melodious works. Consequently, some contemporary music critics dismissed the winning compositions as safe, derivative, or mediocre, claiming that the format disincentivised avant-garde innovation in favour of crowd-pleasing appeals.

Following the 2001 competition, The Guardian argued that none of the shortlisted entries strictly deserved to win such a high-profile competition. The critique by Andrew Clements further noted that if a prize had to be awarded, it should have gone to finalist Qigang Chen's Wu Xing (The Five Elements), praising Chen for attempting to break the competition's rigid structural mould and demonstrating a more original ear for orchestral colour than his rivals.

The third Masterprize competition, held in 2003, saw similar critical scepticism. Reviewers continued to assert that the competition's foundational goal of reconnecting contemporary composers with broad audiences had instead resulted in trite and unoriginal orchestral works. Writing for The Independent, critic Anna Picard characterised the 2003 Masterprize entries as derivative and remarked that the works "played like suggested orchestrations for a Paul McCartney symphony." Picard further argued that by presenting "these snippety samples as the best of modern music, the Masterprize mavens are insulting their audience quite outrageously."

Despite the initial wave of mixed reviews targeting the inaugural winner, media perspectives shifted during the later cycles. In a 2003 retrospective review for The Times, critic Geoff Brown noted that while the competition had generally anointed "music of thudding mediocrity," the inaugural event had at least selected Andrew March's "attractive" Marine – à travers les arbres, which went on to accumulate 13 live performances worldwide. Brown contrasted this increasing traction against the relative obscurity of the 2001 winning piece by Pierre Jalbert, which he noted had "understandably, been heard only once."

Prize winners and finalists

1998 Cycle

The inaugural competition began with an initial shortlist of 15 selected works, which were recorded by the BBC orchestras and broadcast on Radio 3 and the World Service. From this pool, six finalist compositions were chosen to advance to the final round. The competition culminated on 7 April 1998 at the Barbican Centre, London, where the London Symphony Orchestra under Daniel Harding performed the six pieces in full. The gala concert was attended by Cherie Blair, who presented the prizes.

2001 Cycle

The second gala final was held at the Barbican Centre on 11 October 2001 with Daniel Harding conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The entry requirements stipulated that compositions should be original orchestral works of between 6 and 15 minutes duration, scored for normal symphonic forces. The competition format shifted to select five finalists, rather than six as had been the case in the inaugural competition. From an overall pool of 1,151 eligible entries representing 62 countries, a preliminary jury pared the list down to 12 semifinalists.

2003 Cycle

The third and final competition concluded at the Barbican Hall on 30 October 2003, with the London Symphony Orchestra again conducted by Daniel Harding. The competition criteria adjusted slightly from the previous two editions, drawing from a pool of over 800 short scores for symphony orchestra representing 65 countries to arrive at a shortlist of 10 semifinalists.

Masterprize Winners and Finalists
Year 1st 2nd 3rd Other finalists
2003 United States Christopher Theofanidis N/a France Nicolas Bacri FranceLebanon Bechara El-Khoury United States Robert Henderson Latvia Arturs Maskats Germany Anton Plate [de]
2001 United States Pierre Jalbert N/a ChinaFrance Qigang Chen United Kingdom Alistair King United States Anthony Iannaccone United States Carter Pann N/a
1998 United Kingdom Andrew March RussiaSweden Victoria Borisova-Ollas Italy Daniele Gasparini [it] United States Stephen Hartke ChinaUnited States Zhou Long Australia Carl Vine N/a

References

  1. 1 2 3 Anderson, Martin (1998). "The Masterprize Final". Tempo (205). Cambridge University Press: 16–17. JSTOR 944752. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Masterprize international composing competition 2000 - 2001". masterprize.com. Masterprize. 8 May 2000. Archived from the original on 8 April 2000.
  3. 1 2 3 "Write a Masterpiece and Win a Masterprize". sequenza21.com. Sequenza21. 25 November 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2021. The winner will receive a cash prize of £30,000.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Austin, Sara. "Masterprize International Composition Competition" (PDF). University of Rochester. Forum of the Symphony Orchestra Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Academic wins £30,000 music prize". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC News. 11 October 2001. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. ↑ Gwyther, Matthew (2002). "How to Reinvent Yourself". Management Today: 47. ISSN 2059-5425. John McLaren became a diplomat after university ... He also founded Masterprize, a competition for classical music symphonic composition, and he is chairman of the Barchester Group...
  7. ↑ Lister, David (3 October 1996). "A prize tuned to new symphonies". The Independent. Retrieved 20 September 2026. The competition is the brainchild of John McLaren, an investment banker, writer and music lover, who became "distressed" over a long period about the "rift" between modern composers, orchestras, programmes, broadcasters and audiences.
  8. ↑ American Composers Forum (1997). Sounding Board. Vol. v. 24. p. 8. LCCN sn96044497.
  9. ↑ "Masterprize". BBC World Service. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. 1 2 Clements, Andrew (6 October 2001). "New tunes and prizes". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 13 October 2021. ...or have heard the works broadcast by the BBC and other members of the European Broadcasting Union to determine the winner.
  11. 1 2 Dam, Julie K.L. " The Prize Is Right", Time (magazine), 20 April 1998. Retrieved on 13 October 2021.
  12. 1 2 "High Notes". Musical Opinion. 121: 138. 1998. LCCN 89657281. ...15 short-listed works will be performed and broadcast by the BBC's orchestras on Radio 3.
  13. ↑ Henken, John (7 April 1998). "Composers' Eyes on Masterprize". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. Retrieved 13 October 2021. The winner will be announced today at a gala concert in London of all six finalists, again played by Harding and the LSO.
  14. ↑ Symphony. American Symphony Orchestra League. 2000. p. 14. LCCN 96640294. Registration is now open for the second Masterprize...BBC groups (Radio 3, World Service, and BBC Music Magazine), EMI / Angel...
  15. ↑ Gaudeamus Information. Foundation Gaudeamus. 2000. p. 10. The shortlisted works will be recorded and broadcast by BBC Radio 3, BBC World Service and by international stations via the European Broadcasting Union, during early 2001.
  16. ↑ Double Bassist. Orpheus Publications. 2003. p. 7. LCCN sn96044530. ...the 2003 Masterprize, an annual competition to promote new music. The award is sponsored by Classic FM, EMI Classics, Gramophone, the London Symphony Orchestra and National Public Radio.
  17. ↑ "Verifying Device". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 22 September 2026. ...we have broadened listener awareness and involvement by attracting important new partners — the taste-defining Gramophone magazine and the agenda-setting Classic FM, plus National Public Radio, which will broadcast the final across the United States. EMI continues to play a vital role, as does the LSO,...
  18. 1 2 3 "This Week In London, The". NPR. 11 April 1998. Retrieved 20 September 2026. This week in London, the winner of the first-ever Masterprize Composition Competition was announced...Daniel Harding conducts the London Symphony Orchestra.
  19. 1 2 Pan Pipes. Wayside Press. 2001. p. 34. LCCN 87642182. Anthony lannaccone was one of the five finalists selected from 1,151 entrants from 62 countries in the 2001 Masterprize competition organized by the BBC, EMI, and the London Symphony Orchestra.
  20. ↑ The Gramophone. C. Mackenzie. 2003. p. 15. LCCN 36014955. ...but we also received a London Symphony Orchestra performance and numerous radio broadcasts...
  21. 1 2 Masterprize 2003. Vol. 81. Gramophone. 2003. p. 7. ISSN 0017-310X. LCCN 36014955. Instead of engaging in healthy dialogue with audiences, composers, McLaren felt, were labouring under 'the myth, which is an entirely 20th-century creation, that no composer can expect to be appreciated in his lifetime' ... But however esteemed the panel, fundamental to the whole philosophy of Masterprize is that 50 per cent of the vote comes not from experts, but from the knowledgeable listener. Consequently, though no specific genre is sought, wide appeal is the benchmark by which the winner is judged. 'We've never said music should be tonal or harmonic or melodic or anything. We've never once said x is good and y is bad," says McLaren. 'All we've said is that eventually the measure of it has to be: does anybody like it.".
  22. 1 2 3 Pettitt, Stephen (12 April 1998). "Taste of Things to Come – New music has no platform than Masterprize". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 March 2006.
  23. ↑ Tims, Anna (June 1998). "The melody takes the prize..." BBC Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 23 March 2006 – via masterprize.com.
  24. 1 2 "BBC Music Magazine". BBC Music Magazine. 6: 18. 1998. LCCN 97641990. ...Masterprize winner collected his £25,000 and bumped noses with Cherie Blair, than he found himself having to counter accusations of blandness, unoriginality and nostalgia.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Clements, Andrew (12 October 2001). "Masterprize 2001 final". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  26. 1 2 Clements, Andrew (1 November 2003). "Masterprize final". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Picard, Anna (9 November 2003). "Short-changed: an evening of brows worn at the waist". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  28. ↑ Brown, Geoff (1 November 2003). "Masterprize Final". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 22 September 2026. But the chief result so far has been to anoint music of thudding mediocrity. The first event at least picked Andrew March's attractive Marine — à travers les arbres, which has racked up 13 performances worldwide. Since 2001, Pierre Jalbert's winner, understandably, has been heard only once.
  29. ↑ "Commonwealth Broadcaster: The Magazine of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association". Commonwealth Broadcaster (116–123): 18. 1997. The last Masterprize winner, Andrew March receives his award from Cherie Blair, the UK Prime Minister's wife.
  30. 1 2 Richards, Guy (January 2009). "CD Reviews". Tempo. 63 (247): 73–80. doi:10.1017/S0040298209000072. JSTOR 40072907. Victoria Borisova-Ollas (b. 1969) first came to international prominence when her short symphonic poem Wings of the Wind (1997) took 2nd Prize in the 1998 International Masterprize Competition.
  31. 1 2 "Music: Masters of the ceremony". The Independent. 9 April 1998. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  32. ↑ "More Americana". Billboard. Vol. 110, no. 18. 2 May 1998. p. 38. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 September 2026. American composer Stephen Hartke - a finalist in the recent BBC Masterprize competition for his venturesome orchestral work "The Ascent Of The Equestrian In A Balloon" - has his second album just out on the New World label.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gramophone – The Finalists of Masterprize '98". gramophone.co.uk. February 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  34. ↑ IAWM Journal. The Alliance. 2000. p. 71. LCCN 95648409. Masterprize 2. ... new orchestral works, of 6-15 minutes duration, scored for normal symphonic forces...
  35. ↑ Symphony. Vol. 52. American Symphony Orchestra League. 2001. p. 11. LCCN 96640294. The Masterprize competition has been narrowed to twelve semi-finalists (among them Derek Deniel's Dust Dances, featured in Symphony's March/April issue).
  36. ↑ "Masterprize | BBC World Service". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 21 September 2026. About the finalists: Qigang Chen (Chinese, b.1951) ...Wu Xing...Each part represents a different symbol, which in turn developed the idea of the Five Elements (Wu Xing - metal, wood, water, fire and earth).
  37. 1 2 3 Gaudeamus Information. Foundation Gaudeamus. 2002. p. 6. LCCN sn87022481. ...the four other finalists, who each received £1,000 ($1,500) were Carter Pann for Slalom (Theodore Presser), Anthony lannaccone for Waiting for Sunrise on the Sound (Tenuto Publications, Theodore Presser, sole representative), Qigang Chen for Wu Xing (The Five Elements)...and Alastair King for Hit the Ground (Running, Running, Running).
  38. ↑ Mackenzie, C. (2003). 790 down, nine to go... Vol. 81. Gramophone. p. 8. LCCN 36014955. Ten Masterprize 2003 semi-finalists have been chosen from over 800 short scores for symphony orchestra, submitted from 65 countries.
  39. 1 2 Druckenbrod, Andrew (15 February 2007). "Concert Preview: Theofanidis' 'Rainbow Body' is a hit with orchestras". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  40. 1 2 Hewett, Ivan (3 November 2003). "As hopeless as the others". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 8 October 2021. In the case of the French-Lebanese composer Bechara El Khoury, the theme was mankind's ascent from strife and confusion to hope.
  41. 1 2 Brown, Geoff (1 November 2003). "Masterprize Final". The Times. London. Retrieved 8 October 2021. As with the other American entry, Robert Henderson's Einstein's Violin (a scherzo that went nowhere fast, very fast),...
  42. ↑ Clements, Andrew (12 October 2001). "Masterprize final". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  43. ↑ Anderson, Martin (April 2004). "London, Barbican: Masterprize Final". Tempo. 58 (228): 63–64. doi:10.1017/S0040298204260156. JSTOR 3878937. Retrieved 12 October 2021. You Must Finish Your Journey Alone by Anton Plate (Germany, b. 1950).