National Centre for Early Music

2024 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition

~ Andrew Benson-Wilson

York Early Music International Young Artists Competition 2024
National Centre for Early Music
York, 13 July 2024


Founded in 1985, the biennial York Early Music International Young Artists Competition takes place in the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) in the former church of St Margaret’s, Walmgate in York. As usual, it formed the conclusion of the annual York Early Music Festival. The competition is open to ensembles with at least three members aged 36 years or under with an average age of 32 or less. The repertory must be from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, and performers must use historically informed playing techniques, instruments and stylistic conventions.

This year, nine ensembles were selected by the Festival’s Artistic Advisors based on audio recordings but one, the Swiss-based ensemble BREZZA had to withdraw before the final. As usual, the two days before the final featured informal recitals under the guidance of conductor and keyboard player Steven Devine. These informal recitals allow finalists to adapt to the performance space and get to know the audience before the competition final. The Competition final takes place before an international jury (on this occasion Bart Demuyt, Philip Hobbs, Elizabeth Kenny, Lionel Meunier and Emily Worthington) with an audience that includes representatives of the broadcasting, recording, festival and music promotion worlds. It is a key opportunity to identify new and promising young talent.

The final was broadcast live on the NCEM YouTube channel, and can be viewed here – there is also a link to the detailed programme for the final. The final was also recorded by BBC Radio 3, and highlights will be broadcast on the Early Music Show on 3 November and will be available afterwards on BBC Sounds.

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York Early Music International Young Artists Competition 2022

~ Andrew Benson-Wilson

York Early Music International Young Artists Competition
National Centre for Early Music
St. Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York. 16 July 2022

After a Covid-induced hiatus in 2021, the biennial York Early Music International Young Artists Competition returned to the impressively restored medieval church of St. Margaret’s, Walmgate, York, now the National Centre for Early Music. The detailed rules and other information can be seen here, but briefly, competitors must perform in an ensemble with at least 3 members with an average age of up to 33 years and an individual age of 37 or less. These ages are one year higher than usual and only apply to the 2022 competition because of the cancelled 2021 competition. The repertory must be from the middle ages to the 19th century, and performers must use historically informed techniques, instruments and stylistic conventions.

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York Early Music International Young Artists Competition 2019

~ Andrew Benson-Wilson

York Early Music International Young Artists Competition 2019
National Centre for Early Music
York, 11-13 July 2019

Founded in 1985, the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition (until 2009 under the auspices of the Early Music Network) is firmly ensconced in the National Centre for Early Music in the splendidly restored former medieval church of St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York. This year was the 18th incarnation of the biennial event, which for some years has formed part of the annual York Early Music Festival and is supported by the National Centre for Early Music, BBC Radio 3, Arts Council England and Linn Records. The full list of competition rules can be seen here but, briefly, there must be a minimum of two members aged 36 years or under with an average age of 32 or under. The repertory must be from the middle ages to the nineteenth century, using historically informed playing techniques, instruments and stylistic conventions. The ten finalists were chosen from 58 applications to provide a balance sequence of concerts in the final, covering the whole ‘early music’ period. The BBC Radio broadcast of selections of pieces from the final can be heard here.

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Echoes of Venice/NCEM Young Composers

~ Andrew Benson-Wilson

‘Echoes of Venice’
The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble
Turner Sims, University of Southampton. 30 October 2018

As part of their 25th-anniversary celebrations (which also included the release of this excellent CD), The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble (ECSE) joined with the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) in the 2018 NCEM Young Composers Award. UK composers aged 25 and under were invited to compose a piece to be performed by The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble. Composers were”encouraged to “look to Venice for inspiration, and to treat the cornetts and sackbuts as ‘wordless voices’, closer in spirit to a vocal ensemble than to a modern brass ensemble“. They were offered this brief outline of Venetian art and writing. During the final of the award in May, the ECSE performed the six shortlisted pieces and helped to select two prizewinners, one for those 18 and under, and one for 19 to 25 year-olds. All the finalist’s pieces can be heard on the NCEM Young Composers Award website here. The two winning pieces were performed during this Turner Sims concert: ‘Bridge of Sighs’ by Lilly Vadaneaux (18 years and under) and ‘Isole’ by Andrew Blair (19-25 years). Extracts from the concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Early Music Show at 2pm on Sunday 18 November and will be available for a few weeks after that. Continue reading →