The Azrieli Music Prizes are at the moment open for submissions from composers in 4 classes. With the submission deadline of Might 5, 2023 approaching for the following spherical of prizes scheduled for 2024, we spoke to returning decide and composer Ana Sokolović.
Right here’s a have a look at the prizes and the method.
The Azrieli Music Prizes
The Azrieli Music Prizes are a part of the Azrieli Basis’s dedication to supporting music, tradition and the humanities. The main focus of this yr’s competitors is choral music, together with works for a cappella combined voice choir plus as much as 4 extra devices and/or soloists.
Since their inception in 2014, the prizes for composition have expanded to now embrace 4 separate classes:
- Fee for Worldwide Music — open to composers from around the globe for a mission that examines the variety of worldwide tradition in inventive methods;
- Prize for Jewish Music — for the most effective new and undiscovered work of Jewish music, which may embrace items composed over the past 75 years, however which haven’t had a big efficiency or recording historical past;
- Fee for Jewish Music — which asks composers to contemplate (and reply to) the query “What’s Jewish music?”;
- Fee for Canadian Music — provided to a Canadian composer whose proposed work creatively tackles the problems inherent in writing music in modern Canada, asking what’s Canadian music?
Awarded each two years, the prize contains $50,000 CAD for every class. For the three fee classes, the funding permits the composers the time and assets to finish their proposed work.
Except for the Prize for Jewish Music, the judges are solely contemplating proposed works. The proposal is supported by scores and different documentation; nonetheless, they’re judging an concept quite than a completed work.
There are separate juries for every of the prizes. The 4 profitable composers might be concerned in the entire course of, from rehearsals to performances and a recording of their work. The world premiere of all 4 items will happen in Montreal at a gala live performance. Together with the gala premiere, their works might be carried out on one other two subsequent events internationally, and professionally recorded for future launch.
The judging course of begins after the submission deadline of Might 5, and the following AMP Gala Live performance will happen within the fall of 2024, that includes L’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Refrain.
Ana Sokolović
Québec-based composer Ana Sokolović is understood internationally for her inventive works, starting from operas to orchestral items, solo and chamber works. She’s been a part of the Azrieli judging panel because the prizes started.
“I’m judging it because the starting,” she says. “The primary time, really, I used to be invited, proposed by Joseph Rouleau. He was president of the [AMP advisory council].”
After Rouleau, a bass with a world popularity and lifelong champion of Canadian music, handed away in 2019, Ana assumed his place as president. “After all, I think about it in some way my child. I used to be the one composer within the advisory committee. It was essential to have a composer right here. They knew they wanted a composer to launch a contest for composers.”
The AMP launched with the 2 prizes for Jewish music, later including the Canadian music fee. The following iteration in 2024 is the primary to incorporate an Worldwide Music class.
“I believe it will likely be the final one,” she says of the addition. “We’ll have one live performance with 4 items.”
Success, for every class, largely revolves across the particular standards the composers are requested to reply to. “After all, every composition and competitors has guidelines, but it surely’s very a lot associated to the power of composers to compose on this format,” Sokolović explains. This yr’s competitors, for instance, focuses on choral works. “To see that somebody has the power to write down for a choir, and desires to write down for a choir, that’s essential,” she says.
Technical potential, in different phrases, shouldn’t be the one side that the judges will think about. For the three fee classes, contributors could have to have the ability to clarify the mission they’re proposing in sufficient element to seize its qualities.
Together with Sokolović, the judging panel contains conductors and musicologists who analyze the entries with the factors of every class in thoughts. They have a look at problems with authenticity in terms of cultural expression.
“Three issues are essential: your expertise, potential to write down, so technical data, after which the mission.”
Given AMP’s prizes and profile, many purposes are obtained, which then undergo an extended means of consideration.
“Initially, you see the people who find themselves too younger and inexperienced.” These entries are, naturally, the primary which can be eradicated. The remainder are sifted by means of with a view to how nicely they reply to every class. “We find yourself with perhaps a dozen, after which we find yourself with perhaps 5. Then, it’s tough to place them so as,” she says. “It’s a really, very attention-grabbing course of.”
Having a various panel of judges is vital to a good course of. “It’s tough to do the jury course of,” she explains. “That’s why it’s essential that we now have a number of folks — we focus on.”
There are rewards for the laborious work. “It’s not needed joyful within the sense of hedonism. We’re blissful on the finish, but it surely’s not simple.”
Over the course of the years and the time spent on the judging panel, Sokolović has gained an impression of the breadth of the brand new technology of composers. “New composers, younger composers, they’re at all times in a response with the individuals who got here earlier than them,” she explains. “We will discover within the new technology all sorts of music technically. Some write very tonal music. Some are doing very experimental strategies — including non-traditional devices,” she provides.
“What’s essential for us is that the mission is smart, and likewise that it’s related, and that it’s technically nicely finished. The instructions are a number of. We obtain all types of various proposals.”
Her personal experiences with competitions improved over time. “After all, once I was very younger, I utilized to a variety of competitions,” she says. “Once I was older, I did get them.”
As she factors out, although, in a number of respects, the AMP competitors is exclusive. “Right here, what’s wonderful is that there’s a proposal, and the flexibleness to decide on the devices you need to add. It’s as much as you to resolve.”
For composers getting into the competitors, there may be greater than cash at stake. “It’s actually very, very respectful for the composer,” she notes. “It’s not simply the financial prize, it’s that they’re nicely handled.” She notes the numerous rehearsal time out there, together with the opposite perks of the prizes. “It’s not at all times the case.”
The Azrieli Music Prizes are open for submissions till Might 5; extra data right here.
Good luck to all of the candidates.
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Anya Wassenberg is a Senior Author and Digital Content material Editor at Ludwig Van. She is an skilled freelance author, blogger and writing teacher with OntarioLearn.
