Five composers have been nominated for the Gaudeamus Award 2023, our annual incentive prize for composers under 35. From a total of 229 entries, submitted from all over the world, the jury consisting of composers Chaya Czernowin, Agata Zubel and Jan van de Putte chose these five works:
- behave by Zara Ali (USA, 1995)
- A Night of Music in the Uncanny Valley, Part II by Artun Çekem (TUR, 1992)
- Aruah by Saad Haddad (USA, 1992)
- Bricolage by Uri Kochavi (ISR, 1988)
- Drape by Aya Yoshida (JAP, 1992)
In the video below, the jury gives insight into how the selection process went and why they chose these five composers.
The Gaudeamus Award was first presented in 1957 to Peter Schat. For many composers, winning the Award proved an important first step in their international career. The prize was won among others by Louis Andriessen (in 1959), Pauline Oliveros (1962), Unsuk Chin (1985), Karen Tanaka (1987) and Michel van der Aa (1999). Some recent winners are Aart Strootman (2017), Sebastian Hilli (2018) and Annika Socolofsky (2021).
The composers nominated for the Award 2023 will take part in the Gaudeamus Festival 2023, which will take place from 6 to 10 September at various locations in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Several of the pieces they submitted will be performed during the festival, and they will write a new work especially for the festival, for the multidisciplinary Moving Strings Ensemble, or Ensemble hand work.
Watch or listen to 3 of the 5 nominated pieces below: