Peter Bacon reports:

Laura Jurd and Alison Rayner were among the award winners in this year’s Ivors Composers Awards, (formerly the British Composer Awards) announced last night at a ceremony at the British Museum.

Here are the relevant paragraphs from the Ivors’ press release:

The Ivors Composer Awards 2019 at British Museum, London – Laura Jurd, winner of Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble on Wednesday, 4 December 2019.
Photo by Mark Allan

This year’s youngest winner, Laura Jurd won with Jumping In for Jazz Composition for Large Ensemble. Taking inspiration from the likes of American banjo and rock n roll, the piece makes use of collective improvisation to achieve various sonic textures as well as shining a spotlight on featured soloists as the piece develops.

The Ivors Composer Awards 2019 at British Museum, London – Alison Rayner, winner of Jazz Composition for Small Ensemble on Wednesday, 4 December 2019.
Photo by Mark Allan

The Jazz Composition for Small Ensemble was won by Alison Rayner’s There is a Crack in Everything, written for her niece who cycled the hills and lochs of Scotland looking for a crack of light. The rhythm of cycling up hills, freewheeling down, the sound of the spokes and clicks of the gears.

The Ivors Composer Awards 2019 Winners:

AMATEUR OR YOUNG PERFORMERS
The Salamander and The Moonraker by Edward Gregson

CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
Flute Concerto by Dai Fujikura

CHORAL
Pocket Universe by Geoff Hannan

COMMUNITY OR EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
Convo by Charlotte Harding

JAZZ COMPOSITION FOR LARGE ENSEMBLE
Jumping In by Laura Jurd

JAZZ COMPOSITION FOR SMALL ENSEMBLE
There is a Crack in Everything by Alison Rayner

ORCHESTRAL
The Book of Miracles (Trombone Concerto) by Gavin Higgins

SMALL CHAMBER
Leafleoht by James Weeks

SOLO OR DUO
Invisible Cities by Charlotte Bray

SOUND ART
Aeons: A Sound Walk for Newcastle by Martin Green

STAGE WORKS
Harriet (‘Scenes in the life of Harriet Tubman’) by Hilda Paredes

INNOVATION
Anna Meredith MBE

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Erika Fox

LINK: The Ivors Academy